


To Shatter a Heart of Glass

by SophiaFrederica



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: (as always in my fics), (who's not that bad in the end I guess), AU, Alternate History, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Sleeping Beauty Fusion, Angst, Curses, Dark Victor Nikiforov, Drama, Falling In Love, Friendship, Happy Ending, Historical, Jealousy, Love at First Sight, M/M, Maleficent!Victor, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Romance, Royalty, Sleeping Beauty Elements, Sleeping beauty!Yuuri, Temporary Character Death, Yuri Plisetsky Swears
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-01-25 22:03:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12542188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaFrederica/pseuds/SophiaFrederica
Summary: “Such a beautiful child,” the Dark Fairy mutters softly, though Minako is sure everyone present is able to hear his words anyway. “And so helpless and fragile… I tell you what: you, my little prince, shall indeed become beautiful and graceful, loved by everyone who steps on your path. However,” he says, louder this time, and turns to face the crowd behind him, “all good features come with a price."Aka Sleeping Beauty AU where Maleficent falls in love with the prince he cursed 20 years ago.





	1. The Curse

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo when I finished my last fic in August, I talked about some new story plans and this is not either of them *nervous laughter* I’m still trying to start writing the Agent AU and have already a few very unfinished pages waiting, but university has kept me so busy that I haven’t got much free time to spend on being frustrated at my own slowness when it comes to writing in English. But during my short autumn break I decided that I have to start at least something so that I could get my mind off the school stuff. And to get back to the writing mood, I decided to start with something a little less difficult to write, so ta-dah, you got another fairy tale AU! You might have already guessed that I can’t give you any promises about how frequently I’m going to update, but I’ll do my best to see that the period between chapters won’t be like 6 months :’) 
> 
> Even though this might not be the story you were waiting for, I’d be very happy if you could give it a try and cheer my stressed soul with some kudos and comments :’D Once again, this fic will be beta’d by the amazing and talented [Spigu!](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Spigu/pseuds/Spigu)

Witnessing the beginning of new life is one of the greatest wonders Minako has ever known. People might think that by the age of 500, she would have got enough of it, but that’s not true. Every birth is different, a miracle of its own, full of the most intense emotions humans are capable of experiencing. Humans are born differently than her breed, unlike fairies, their arrival to the world is more complex, full of so many things that might go wrong. Fairies, on the other hand, are born in the most unexpected situations: from the drops of the morning dew, from the petals of the most beautiful flower of the meadow. No one is expecting them to be born, which might explain why so many of them are so indifferent towards the fuss humans make about their children.

Minako, though, can’t relate to her fellow fairies in this matter. Cheeks glowing, she bends over the cradle and feels a smile take over her entire face. The child’s tiny chest is rising slowly in his calm sleep, his hands are tightly wrapped around the sewed dog plush toy the servants gifted him on his birthday. Fair-skinned and dark-haired, one can easily see how he is taking after his mother. Prince Toshiya II is one of the most beautiful creatures Minako has ever seen.

“Is Yacchan still asleep?”

The Crown Princess of Japan and Minako’s another godchild, Mari, has appeared next to her, seemingly tired in her red _jūnihitoe_. Minako can’t blame her, she knows how much the multi-layered kimono can weigh, Hiroko used to complain about it when she was younger. Usually, Mari is running around the palace in lighter attires, but the day requires everyone to wear their most elegant dresses. Still, it doesn’t mean she couldn’t make her task a little easier. Snapping her fingers, Minako grins at Mari’s reaction when the child rises into the air like a feather and takes her in her arms.

“There you go, does this cheer you up a little?”

“Yes, thank you, aunt Minako,” Mari says and presses her head against her chest, her dark eyes glued to the baby who is still fast asleep. “Do you think Yacchan knows everyone has arrived here to celebrate him?”

“I’m not sure,” Minako says although she knows the child couldn’t realize the situation he is in, nor remember any of the celebration. “But I’m sure he appreciates it anyway.”

“Were there this many people celebrating me when I was born?”

“At least this many, might have been even more since you were the firstborn,” Minako says and sets Mari back on her feet. “I need to go and find Yacchan’s other godmothers, since the gift ceremony should be starting soon. Do you want to come with me?”

To her surprise, Mari shakes her head. Even though she is just six years old, there is already a glint of maturity in her eyes, the same eyes she shares with her little brother. “I want to watch over Yacchan.”

“You’re such a good big sister, Yacchan will definitely be safe when you’re by his side,” Minako says and strokes her hair lovingly, it has grown so much since they last saw each other. “If you get scared by yourself, just ask one of the guards to come get me, alright?”

“I’ll be alright, aunt Minako. I’m not two years old.”

Minako laughs softly at the remark and turns her attention to the crowd that has filled the throne room. It’s a wonder to see the palace so packed with people, the previous emperors would turn in their graves if they saw how Emperor Toshiya and Empress Hiroko have shaped the old traditions. For example, the Emperor sees no sense in addressing his court behind a curtain and even though the country is still rather closed, they have slowly started to make allies with other great powers in Asia. The most valued allies have also taken part in the christening, the royal couple of the Kingdom of Thailand is currently discussing with the Emperor and Empress, brown eyes glimmering. King Sunan and Queen Ratree had their firstborn in April and when Crown Prince Phichit was born, it was decided that he should marry the second-born child of Hiroko and Toshiya who was expected to be born at the end of the same year. When making the decision, everyone had expected Hiroko to give birth to another daughter since a certain Swiss foreteller who was visiting the country had told them so. Minako was rather sceptical of his divination back then, since the man had had a little too many drinks before telling his predictions, so she wasn’t really surprised when the second child was a boy instead. To her delight, the royal couples decided to marry the boys off with each other anyway. After all, they had already started to be considered soul mates, the only ones for each other, and their parents did not want to ruin their future by starting to mess with something as divine as destiny.

A shred of blue gets caught in her gaze and Minako rushes to the other side of the room, the sound of her wooden sandals following quietly after her steps. Under a dim lantern, hidden in the shadows of a tall pillar stand two women, immortals like her. Even though they are all of the same breed, the two of them stand out much more than she does. The tanned dark-haired woman is wearing a bright green dress that looks like it has been made of hundreds of leaves. She doesn’t seem to suffer from the freezing breeze of December that despite all their efforts has found its way inside the palace. The red-haired woman next to her fits better to the current weather, her deep blue gown reaches to the floor and with all the pearls embroidered in her headdress, makes her resemble a foreign snow queen. Their wings glow slightly in the dim light, Minako hasn’t bothered to conceal her own pair, either. It’s ironic how people still mistake her for one of their kind every now and then. If she had decided to hide her wings for the ceremony, she would have looked like any other person in the room in her garnet kimono. The tales exaggerate the beauty of her breed a little too much.

“Mila, Sara, there you are! I was looking for you two, for a moment I almost thought you didn’t come! Why are you hiding in the corner?”

“We thought it might be better this way,” Sara replies with a frown that looks as though it should have never appeared on a bright face like hers. “Even though people don’t say anything, we know they are scared of us since we are foreigners from far away. Everyone has been scared of foreigners after _that_ happened.”

Minako nods silently, of course, the recent chain of incidents that has started to spread fear among the people of this nation. It all began in September, around the time when Hiroko had been carrying her second child for seven months. Out of nowhere, a foreign-born fairy, Viktor, as he was once called before earning the nickname “the Dark Fairy”, had started to attack small villages near the capital. So far no one had lost their life in the rampages, but that didn’t offer much comfort to the people who had lost their homes. And to make things worse, the fear of the raging monster had spread across the country like wildfire, leaving people in distress and uncertainty. The peaceful atmosphere Emperor Toshiya and Empress Hiroko had managed to create had started to crack dangerously and people had started to rely more on _daimyōs_ and, more alarmingly, on vigilantism. For who could trust rulers who couldn’t thwart a massive menace threatening their safety?

“Thanks to him, now people think Sara and I will hurt them just because we are foreigners,” Mila mutters in an irritated manner. “I really appreciate that my former countryman wants to ruin the reputation of every European fairy.”

“I don’t understand why he is doing this,” Sara says quietly, “remember when we saw him the last time? He was so different, he even gave Princess Mari his blessing when he was at her christening. I would never have guessed that he would turn into something like this…”

“I thought he had moved away from the country since he kept such a low profile for so long,” Mila says. “Anyway, we have to come up with a way to get rid of him soon, because I’m starting to get really tired of this situation!”

One of the counsellors turns his head suspiciously in their direction. He can’t speak English, Minako is sure of it, but that doesn’t mean his wits wouldn’t help him to figure out what they’re talking about. Recently, their trio has talked about nothing but the Dark Fairy himself and people in the court are starting to lose their trust in them, too.

“We can talk about it later, let’s just pretend everything is alright for one night, okay?” Minako says with a stiff smile and when switching to Japanese, also forces her tone into something awfully bright. “Come now, ladies, let’s go bless our new prince with the greatest gifts we have to offer!”

The royal couple has returned to their thrones with Mari sitting next to her mother, back straight but gaze jumping restlessly to the cradle that stands a little further from her father’s throne. Simultaneously, Minako and her companions drop on their knees and bow deeply at the thrones, foreheads brushing lightly against the wooden floor. When they rise to their feet again, the Emperor and Empress greet them with warm smiles. Even they don’t know what kind of gifts are going to be given to their youngest child, although Minako is sure they have made a few good guesses, especially with her gift.

Proudly, Minako steps forward and turns her head towards the cradle. Prince Toshiya has woken from his sleep but he is staying quiet, waiting. Though he couldn’t understand what’s about to happen, he might sense the situation is very special, magical.

“Dearest Prince, my gift shall be the gift of health. May you stay safe from grand diseases that try to threaten our people in the coldest of winters and may you heal fast when falling ill.”

Minako lets the tiny drops of magic twirl above her palm for a while before blowing them gently towards the cradle. She can hear people murmur contently at her words, she is known for practical gifts and Mari received the same blessing when she was born. So far, she has only suffered from two fevers and each time she was ready to continue running around the palace the next day. If no war strikes, both the Princess and the Prince should grow old like their parents hope they will.

Mila is the next one in line, her voice clear and relaxed, though Minako knows how nervous she was when reminiscing her speech, especially with parts where her accent was easier to spot. “Sweet Prince, I shall gift you a kind heart. May you encounter others with empathy despite their backgrounds and may you be fair in your judgments. However, may you still have faith in your own decisions so that others won’t try to take advantage of your kindness.”

To some, Mila’s gift might have sounded a little contradictory, but in Minako’s opinion, she couldn’t have given him a better gift. Even the kindest of people need to have a proper spine and she is sure Hiroko and Toshiya will appreciate the thought.

As Mila returns to the row, Sara walks to the cradle at a calm pace. Attention-wise, she got the best place in their order. Being the last one to bless the new-born, Sara’s gift is expected to be something very special and beautiful.

“Darling Prince, with all my heart I’m grateful for you to be born into this world and hope you will love it as much as I do. You have been blessed with many great traits that will surely guard your path and bring you success in life. I, too, want to give you something to help you grow as a person and face the hardships you may encounter. My gift…”

No one in the hall hears what she would have had to say, for her words have been cut off by a loud slam from the back of the space. An icy breath of air has filled the room, so cold everyone can feel it in their bones. When someone lets out a fearful gasp, Minako knows everything has been ruined.

In the back of the room stands a tall man in a tight black costume whose hem reaches down to the floor and whose front is full of bright, glass-like embellishments. His long silver hair is flowing freely to his hips and if the situation were different, he could be referred to as the most beautiful person in the room. His aura, though, is glowing in the darkest of shades, void of all drops of light, which makes his angelic appearance look somehow nightmarish. This time, there’s someone accompanying him, a short, blond-haired teenage boy who is dressed in a tight black costume full of feathers. He is not a fairy, Minako can tell, but there’s something magical about him as well. Despite looking so young, his aura is almost as dark as his master’s.

“What a lovely day it is,” the Dark Fairy begins in a smooth voice. His Japanese is clear and fluent, he has mastered the language more quickly than Sara or Mila despite moving to the country later than them. “The Emperor and Empress received another child and the sweet Crown Princess her first sibling. Such a good reason to celebrate and yet I found myself without an invitation of any sort. First I thought no fairies like me were invited to the child’s christening but now that I see my old friends here, I feel a little hurt.”

Minako feels her chest tighten with anger, the Dark Fairy has no right to refer to them as his “friends”, not after everything he has done. Next to her, Mila wraps her arm around her lover. Minako doesn’t know whether her body is shaking from fear or anger. 

“He should know why he wasn’t welcome,” Mila hisses between her teeth so quietly the intruders shouldn’t have heard her words, but somehow the blonde boy was able to catch them, for a second later he is yelling back at her in accented Japanese that doesn’t have any signs of its polite features.

“You’ve got some fucking nerve to act all innocent, you fucking hag! You all started this shit and you’re gonna pay for it!”

“Now now, Yura, let’s not be impolite,” the Dark Fairy says without any attempt to sound scolding and starts to walk towards the throne. People withdraw from him, not out of respect but fear. Reflexively, Minako steps closer to the cradle. Prince Toshiya is lucky to be so little he doesn’t know to fear the intruder. “Oh dear, you could almost cut the atmosphere with something. Did I just become a party ruiner or something?”

“Please, sir, whatever has angered you, could you be so kind and let it rest today?” Toshiya says stiffly, usually his tone is full of joy, but right now the feature is nowhere to be heard. “It’s my son’s christening and I wish everyone could celebrate it in peace. If you wanted to begin a discussion about truce, we could start it as early as tomorrow and…”

“The hell you’re offering us anything, you fucking geezer!” the blonde boy spats angrily, earning some very scandalized looks from the court members even though the situation they’re in right now is nothing but threatening.

“Yura, you’re not supposed to talk to the Emperor that way,” the Dark Fairy huffs dramatically before turning back to the throne. “I accept your request about tonight, your majesty, it feels quite awkward for me to be here anyway. But before I go, madam,” he says with a wide, pleasant smile, his eyes glued to Hiroko who is desperately trying to maintain her face, “tell me, how much do you love your new-born?”

“He means the world to me and my husband, sir,” Hiroko replies, the shakiness of her tone barely audible. Her internal emotions are easier to spot, though, Minako can see the fear in her brown eyes, in the dew that has got caught in her eyelashes. Despite sitting on the throne, Hiroko has lost all her might, all of those traits that make her look like a queen. Right now, she is meeting the enemy at her most vulnerable, as a mother. Minako bites her lower lip and turns her gaze back to the Dark fairy, he wouldn’t be _that_ cruel, would he?

The Dark Fairy chuckles lightly. “Please don’t look so scared, my dearest Empress, I meant no harm with my question. May I greet the young prince before I go and give him my blessing as an act of good will?”

The fairy’s companion starts to hiss angrily at his master and although Minako does not know the language, she can tell the boy isn’t happy about the proposition. While the Dark fairy scolds his apprentice softly, Minako lets her eyes return briefly to Hiroko. The panic that has seized her face almost stops Minako’s heart, they’re standing so close to each other and yet Minako can do nothing to offer her support to her friend. She can’t blame her, Hiroko has reacted like any other parent: she doesn’t want that monster anywhere near her child, not now, not ever. They all are more than aware of that, the Dark Fairy knows that better than anyone, pleased with the reaction he has caused. But nevertheless Hiroko has to act against her instincts, there is no other way to end this. For if she doesn’t grant the monster the permission to greet her child, they all will die in mere seconds.

“Please, be my guest. I’d be very happy if you could think of it as our apology to you, sir.”

The Dark Fairy bows lightly towards the throne and walks smoothly to the cradle, definitely aware of the attention he has gained. Holding her breath, Minako backs slowly from her place and follows how the man bends over the cradle, his long fingers stroking the child’s cheek. His aura shows no signs of a lie, the smile on his face looks almost genuine and if Minako didn’t know him better, she might have relaxed at this point. Still, she prays her instincts are wrong this time. Maybe Sara was right all along when she once said that even the most evil creatures can be changed when they let love and compassion inside their hearts.

“Such a beautiful child,” the Dark Fairy mutters softly, though Minako is sure everyone present is able to hear his words anyway. “And so helpless and fragile… I tell you what: you, my little prince, shall indeed become beautiful and graceful, loved by everyone who steps on your path. However,” he says, louder this time, and turns to face the crowd behind him, “all good features come with a price. And his price shall be a heart as fragile as glass. So before the sun sets on his twenty-first birthday, his heart will be shattered and he will die. And when that happens, you, everyone in the court, will feel your heart break in pieces and will follow him to death soon after!”

Panic fills the air immediately after the Dark Fairy has cast his curse, it can be heard in the cries of the crowd, in the pleas of the people who are afraid of dying, in the sorrow of everyone who has already grown to love the new-born prince. It takes a lot of Minako to maintain herself and not to attack the monster right away. She would lose, her reason knows it, but her heart couldn’t care less at the moment.

“Please, sir, I beg you! Spare our child from your anger!” Toshiya cries, it’s a wonder how he was able to jump to his feet, since they look like they could betray him at any time. “We don’t know what caused your hatred, but please, if you want to punish someone, punish me instead! He’s just a baby, he has nothing to do with it!”

“You really don’t understand anything, your majesty,” the Dark Fairy says, his tone sweet, “this is my punishment to you. Come, Yura, the party’s over. Let’s go home.”

The teenager grunts something as a reply and before anyone can do anything to them, they disappear in the air, leaving a tiny whirl of snow behind. Minako rushes to the cradle and lifts the child in her arms, holding back tears. From the outside, the prince looks just as healthy and bright as a few moments earlier, unaware of the seed of sorrow that has been planted inside his heart. It’s unfair to everyone, but most unfair to the child himself. At the age of four weeks, he has already lost his future to a curse that is far more powerful than any of the blessings that were supposed to grant him a good life. Silently, Minako walks to the throne and lowers the prince in his mother’s arms only to face sorrow even greater than her own.

“Is there anything you can do to break the curse, Minako?” Hiroko whispers in a tearful voice.

“I’m afraid there isn’t, your majesty,” Minako says, hating her own uselessness. “The Dark Fairy is one of the most powerful creatures of our kind and even if we combined our powers, we still couldn’t break the curse. I’m so sorry…”

“I beg your pardon, your majesties,” Sara says suddenly, bowing at the throne, “but I still haven’t given my gift. Minako is right about what she said, we cannot undo the curse, but I can use my blessing to soften it a little.”

Taking a deep breath, Sara cups her hands like she was holding something precious in her palms and blows softly on them. Though nothing can be seen, Minako can feel the blessing sweep through her body, erasing the coldness left by the Dark Fairy and replacing it with the first rays of spring: hope. Now, she finally dares to cry.

“Sweet prince, if the curse comes true and your heart breaks, you will not die but fall into deep sleep followed by your family and the people in the court. Guarded by the sweetest of dreams, you will be awakened from your slumber by your true love’s kiss that will break the curse and destroy all the evil that threatens the happiness of your people.”

After Sara has finished reciting her blessing, a new wave of silence fills the room. It’s full of uncertainty and caution, pondering whether such idealistic words can be trusted. But everyone knows they have no other choice. Right now all the eyes in the room are glued to the dark-haired and dark-eyed baby that is resting in Queen Ratree’s arms, their future hero who is destined to save them all.

 

 

***

“When my husband and I arrived in Kyoto for the christening, we never expected anything like this to happen.”

“My sincerest apologies, your majesty, we never expected this to happen, either. We understand if you want to stay out of this situation.”

The counsellors let out a shocked cry to voice their objection, having forgotten everything about the etiquette. Minako closes her eyes when the noise starts to rise closer to the ceiling and leans against the wall behind her back, the stress and the exhaustion of the day have already been released in the form of a throbbing headache. Still, she is unable to call it a day just yet. Like Mila and Sara, she too is needed in the emergency discussion between the leaders of the two nations, in the discussion that is supposed to sort out their future. The most important members of the Japanese and Thai courts have gathered in the small negotiation hall, doors shut and guarded by a couple of armed soldiers. So far, they haven’t got a proper plan, mostly because of the counsellors who have spent the time being distressed about the situation. It annoys Minako how the members of the council seem to worry more about their own safety than that of the young prince, the bearer of the curse. People tend to show their true colours when threatened by a real crisis.

Queen Ratree narrows her eyes a little, seemingly annoyed at the fuss around her. “Now don’t be stupid, Emperor Toshiya. My people are loyal towards their alliances, there’s no way we could leave you all alone with your problem,” she says, voice full of determination. “Our son, Prince Phichit, has been given the role of a hero and thus he shall fulfil it and become worthy of his fiancé.”

Hiroko walks to her, taking her hands in her own and leaving all the formality behind. “Thank you, your majesty. We are forever in your debt.”

“Nonsense, we’re happy to help,” the queen replies, a little gentler this time, “please, just call me Ratree from now on. I’m sure my husband is also fine with being on first-name terms.”

“Certainly,” King Sunan says with a wide smile. “I think it’s safest for us and our child to return to our kingdom as soon as possible. Do you think we could take prince Toshiya with us? Our nannies would be more than capable of taking care of him and the children would get to know each other well if they grew up together.”

“Yes, dear, I think it would be a wonderful idea!”

“I’m afraid I must object, your majesties,” Mila says with a deep sigh. “The Dark Fairy would know if Prince Toshiya left the country and he wouldn’t rest before finding him and fulfilling the curse. We cannot put your people in a danger so great.”

“Pardon me, miss,” Queen Ratree says, giving Mila a slightly suspicious look like she was dealing with the Dark Fairy himself, “but our guards are very well-trained. No enemy of ours is able to enter our palace.”

“That’s what we thought about our guards as well, madam,” Minako hurries, “but no guard is capable of stopping the Dark Fairy. Please, if you took Prince Toshiya to Kingdom of Thailand with you, you’d only risk the safety of your own child. If Prince Phichit is killed, there’s no one to break the curse that awaits all of us.”

“But Minako, if you say no guard is capable of stopping the Dark Fairy, how can we ever protect our child?” Hiroko says, panic making her voice tremble. “Is there no other way for us than to wait for him to return to kill our baby?”

“I think there’s a way,” Sara says quietly. “We just need to act against his expectations.”

“And what does that exactly mean?”

“If I were a parent,” Minako begins, “I would probably suggest the same things as you did: rely on the guards, keep my child safe behind the walls of the palace or put him in some other place safe. Most parents would do that and the Dark Fairy probably assumes we would act in that manner. But what if we did the exact opposite thing? What if we hid the baby in an ordinary cottage like one of those where forest-dwelling peasants live? Me and my colleagues could conceal our powers and pretend to live as ordinary women and take care of raising the prince.”

“And if we hid the prince in a place where he has minimal interaction with other people, we could also keep his heart safe from shattering,” Mila continues. “At least we could buy some time, I’m sure the Dark Fairy wouldn’t start with rampaging through some ordinary homes.”

“But what about us?” Toshiya cries out. “We’re his parents! Are you suggesting that you wouldn’t let us meet our son before he becomes an adult and returns to the palace?”

“I’m afraid that’s the case, sir,” Minako says apologetically, “the less the prince will know about his background, the safer he will be. I think it’s better if we conceal his real name, too. I understand you’re upset but please, at least try to see our point of view. We only want what’s best for you and the child himself. In case something ever happens to Prince Phichit, it’s best for us to play safe and do everything we can to keep the child hidden from the Dark Fairy until he turns twenty-one. If, for some reason, the Dark Fairy became aware of what we did to his curse, he would most likely go after Prince Phichit first. And if he managed to get rid of him and Prince Toshiya, you could never become a proper family to him, your majesties.”

The Emperor and Empress nestle silently against each other, looks painful and hearts shattered. Minako knows they understand the risks, but she can’t help feeling a little guilty after causing them to break into tears. When Hiroko finally opens her mouth, her voice sounds so tiny, just like she was a child again who was seeking protection from her fairy godmother. Only this time, Minako is unable to offer her any kind of comfort.

“I guess there’s no other option then.”

 

 

***

In the darkest hours, three figures leave the palace grounds, disappearing into the snowy night with a new-born child. Stripped from riches, the baby has left everything behind apart from the second kanji of his new name that still ties him to the past. Chest tightening, Minako keeps her eyes strictly at the road before them, at the uncertainty that waits for them. Still, she knows she has to be brave, after causing so much sorrow, she can’t let anyone down anymore.

The child lets out a little sound that could mean anything, returning Minako to the moment. Gently, she pets his cheek and presses his tiny body closer to her own to make sure he stays safe from the cold.

“Don’t be afraid, little one. I will do my utmost so that no one will ever hurt you.”


	2. The Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I was just thinking about the dream I had last night.”  
> Aunt Sara grins at his words and comes to sit on the edge of the bed, her dark eyes full of curiosity. ”Is that so? Tell me, what did you dream about? Did you meet some fancy person who was head over heels for you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, gee it’s been a while! I’m terribly sorry for not updating earlier but as I warned in the notes of the first chapter, it might take a while for me to update since uni’s keeping me darn busy this semester (someone just save me!), and when I actually had some time to write, a massive block hit me out of nowhere… But anyway, at least I managed to get this done in the end, so yay me!
> 
> In this chapter you’ll learn something about Yuuri’s teenage years and how his life has been so far, raised by his three very loving and not so ordinary aunts. Viktor’s motives and previous life will also be discussed a little here so I hope you’ll get some answers to your questions. But worry not, there’ll be another time skip after this one, and the boys will meet each other for the “first” time in next chapter! Let’s just hope I’ll have time to write it soon…
> 
> A big thank you to everyone who has left comments and kudos and subscribed to this! I hope you enjoy reading! :>

_The world has been painted with different shades of orange, none of them beautiful after having invaded the place where everything should be green. Heat is pressing itself against him like a suffocating wave, making it hard to move, hard to scream. His hands are trembling uncontrollably, not a single drop of magic is willing to come out, to cool the air around him. The reason is lying right in front of his eyes, the one thing he has ever truly loved. Sobbing, he tries to pet his soft fur, call his name and wake him up. But the dog stays quiet, way too quiet for the lively creature he is, way too quiet to even be alive._

Viktor tears himself free from the dream’s grip, his body cold and sweaty unlike in the world where he was just trapped. Slowly, he lets his gaze travel around the room, his pulse calming down when he realizes everything is just as ordinary as it can be. Viktor is still not used to the walls of his new bedroom, or to the whole house itself, but at moments like this it’s becoming closer to something he can call home. At least nothing inside is painted with orange, the colour he now associates with death.

Viktor pushes the covers aside and steps on the cool floor, he needs to put on something before heading for his mandatory round; he would scare Yuri to death if he appeared in his room naked, especially in the middle of the night. He wraps a cloak around him, letting his hair flow freely past his other shoulder, and lets his feet lead him to the dark hallway. Despite not having been living here for long, Viktor already knows how to navigate inside the house without any lights on. His feet know the way, his fingers help with keeping the path steady. Quietly, he cracks the door to Yuri’s bedroom open, just slightly so that he gets to see him sleeping safely in his bed and can then return to the dream world. The only problem is that Yuri is nowhere to be seen. And that’s when panic strikes him hard.

”Yura, where are you? Answer me!”

“What the hell are you yelling at in the middle of the night?” Yuri replies, his voice ringing out from somewhere not so far. Viktor rushes to the end of the hall, letting out a sigh of relief when he peeks into the kitchen – or the potion laboratory as Yuri calls it – and finds his apprentice sitting on the edge of a long wooden table, the moon illuminating his face. There’s an empty plate next to him, somehow Viktor managed to forget how fond Yuri is of his night snacks.

“Jesus Christ, I almost choked on the leftovers when you started shouting all of a sudden! Next time you want to…” Yuri continues angrily but stops when he notices the look on Viktor’s face. “What is it? Are you alright?”

“I had a dream of that day. This time, I thought I had lost you too.”

Yuri stirs awkwardly like he was first planning to jump on the floor but decided to stay in his place in the end. This is how it’s always been with them, feeling each other’s sorrow but being too clumsy to do anything about it. Still, Yuri’s expression softens just a little, telling him to calm down even though no other comfort is coming for him.

“You won’t lose me, you know that – I’m not going anywhere. Want some water?”

Viktor nods and walks to him, sitting on his left side, close enough to him to assure himself about Yuri’s existence. It’s so weird how important Yuri has become to him in such a short time, they haven’t known each other for more than six months and yet it feels like he has always been here. Viktor met him for the first time when he travelled back to Russia last summer to take care of some unfinished business with his former friends, who were the reason he left the country in the first place. He doesn’t know why but for some reason the fairy community in his former home country is a very toxic one: at least towards some. Being fair and talented at using magic is considered a great value among those of his kind unless one becomes too beautiful and powerful in the eyes of the community. For those show-offs, a punishment is prepared to remind them of their place. The cruellest of them is having one’s wings ripped off, robbing the poor fairy of their ability to fly and leaving a chronic pain to torment their back for years. Even now, Viktor would sometimes wake up to the feeling of throbbing pain scratching his muscles, burning like the most destructive of flames.

Meeting Yuri was a coincidence, though. Sometime after getting back on the Russian soil, Viktor learnt the fairy community had found a new group to hate: shapeshifters. Landing somewhere between fairies and humans, shapeshifters found it hard to fit in since they were considered to be too human-like to be accepted as fairies and on the other hand too magical to be treated as anything but witches. However, as shapeshifters preferred to live far away from human towns and villages, fairies got to attack them first. Viktor saved the orphaned boy after other fairies had attacked his home and took him under his wing, feeding him with promises of a beautiful foreign land where humans and magical creatures could all live in peace. Unfortunately, he soon found out how naïve his ideas were all along.

“Feeling better?” Yuri asks, eyes narrowed like he was trying to look straight into Viktor’s soul.

“Yeah, much better. And I will feel even better when they’re all dead.”

 ”There’s one thing I don’t understand: why didn’t you just immediately kill that brat? Why wait twenty fucking years to get your revenge?”

“Ever heard a phrase ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’?” Viktor asks with a smile and when Yuri shrugs, continues the explanation. “Now, if I had killed the baby and the court that night, would they have suffered a bit? No, I would simply have put them out of misery, it would have been too easy for them. However, when the Emperor and Empress know their precious boy is going to die no matter what they do, the rest of their lives will be filled with nothing but pain.”

Yuri’s mouth falls open just a little, Viktor can’t help but feel a little proud every time he manages to impress his protégé, which unfortunately doesn’t happen that often anymore. “That’s actually pretty darn genius, you really can be amazingly evil when you want to!”

“Now you’re just flattering me, Yura,” Viktor says, snorting softly at the comment. “You know what people call me, ‘the Dark Fairy’? I’m hardly worthy of such an honour.”

After all, the evilest of creatures are the humans themselves.

“What are you whining about, at least your name sounds cool,” Yuri grunts, he wasn’t very pleased when he found out people had started to call him simply “the Dark Fairy’s apprentice”. “But still, twenty years is such a long time, though you have more than enough time to get ready to kill the brat. You do know where he is, right? So that it won’t be difficult for us to find him when the time comes.”

Viktor stays quiet for just a little too long.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Yuri yells so loudly that Viktor probably won’t hear properly for the next couple of days. “How the fuck did you forget to cast a simple tracking spell on that brat?”

“Don’t blame me, I had to concentrate so hard on not killing everyone in the throne room that it simply slipped my mind. You know how forgetful I can be.”

“Yes, I do,” Yuri says passive-aggressively, he probably remembered that Viktor still hasn’t got him the spell book he asked for two whole months ago. “So, let me get one thing straight,” he begins with a sigh that only makes his tone sound more irritated, “you have no fucking way to find out who that brat is and where the hell he is hiding?”

“That’s not quite the case,” Viktor says calmly. “I know the child is in this country, the curse itself lets me sense that much at least. And if I touched someone and used some magic on them, I would know if he was the prince I’m looking for. But I’m sure you understand that I can’t possibly visit every house of this country and ask the parents if I can touch their children – at least not after the whole country has come to fear me.”

Yuri opens his mouth, most likely to express his understanding of the situation, but instead of that he pales a little, green eyes wide with horror. “Don’t tell me…”

“Oh yes,” Viktor says in a sing-song, “you shall be the one to find the prince.”

“Why the hell do I have to clean up your fucking mess?”

“You know that quite well even if I didn’t tell you: you are the only one of us who has wings. Besides, teleportation requires a lot of energy and mind you, your wing work is still pretty sloppy, so you could use some extra practice.” (Yuri gives him a very nasty look at this point.) “Anyway, with your abilities of a shapeshifter, you wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention when searching for the child. And if you visited the children at night, they would never find out that someone was watching them.”

“To me, it’s starting to sound more and more like you’re just too fucking lazy to search for him yourself,” Yuri mutters under his breath. “But fine, I’ll do it – at least I want to be there when he dies! Just don’t tell me I have to start the search right now…”

“Of course not, let’s wait until his 20th birthday and begin the search one year before his death. That way we can make the court and my former colleagues believe I have lost my interest in him.”

“So basically I need to make sure that belief won’t actually become reality,” Yuri says and jumps off the table. “Right, I’m going to bed now, maybe you should too.”

The plate is once again left at the table, but Viktor lets it be this time, he will scold Yuri a bit more next time. Silently, he follows how his protégé walks lazily towards the doorway, a couple of black feathers from his neck falling on the floor in the movement. Before stepping into the hall, Yuri stops, expectedly. The glint in his eyes tells Viktor the teen still has some questions he requires answering.

“You’re really sure this is going to work? The brat will die, right?”

“Of course he will, there’s nothing that could stop the curse from happening.”

“And you won’t come to regret it?”

Viktor frowns at the question, slight irritation tickling his body. He thinks of the flames set by humans that devoured his forest, his home, and most importantly, his precious Makkachin. He thinks of the prince, a couple of months old, sleeping in the cradle made of the wood of his forest before everything was burnt to ashes. Just the memory of it makes him sick to his stomach.

“No need to worry, Yura. There’s nothing that could make me regret it.”

 

 

***

_15 years later_

A shadow.

That’s the form Yuuri always sees in his dreams, a shapeless creature that can still be interpreted as something human-like. It’s lurking behind the grey trees, following him silently without leaving any footsteps behind. First Yuuri was a little afraid of it, waking up from dozens of dreams in a cold sweat after believing the shadow was planning to devour him, but little by little he has learnt to trust it. During hundreds and hundreds of dreams he has learnt the shadow won’t touch him unless he lets it near, nor will it restrict him. Actually, the shadow seems to be quite playful by nature: it has taken Yuuri far past the invisible borders of his colourless dream world and shown him wonders he thought he could never imagine. It’s like spending time with a friend, a friend he has known all his life.

As the first rays of morning fill the room, the shadow leaves him, disappearing into the white light. Slowly, Yuuri opens his eyes although he would rather hide under the covers and sleep till noon. Unfortunately his aunts never let him sleep late (unless it’s Aunt Mila’s turn to wake him up): his days are always carefully planned and they want him to start his studies early and bright. This time Yuuri is greeted by a sight of green and brown, the colours Aunt Sara likes to wear the most. She has just opened the window, allowing the autumn breeze to enter the room for a while and play with her hair.

“Good morning, Yuuri,” Aunt Sara says with a warm smile and closes the window. Like always, she is conversing with him in English, just like Aunt Mila does. “What’s this, you’re still in bed? Come on now, don’t let dreams catch you into their realm: they might succeed if you stay there for too long.”

“It won’t happen, I’m not that sleepy anymore,” Yuuri says and, to show he actually means it, rises his body just a few inches with the help of his elbows. “I was just thinking about the dream I had last night.”

Aunt Sara grins at his words and comes to sit on the edge of the bed, her dark eyes full of curiosity. ”Is that so? Tell me, what did you dream about? Did you meet some fancy person who was head over heels for you?”

“No. I dreamt of having a friend.”

The bright eagerness dies instantly from her eyes, being replaced by sorrow. Like Yuuri, Aunt Sara knows very well some things can only happen in dreams. “Yuuri, I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay, Aunt Sara,” Yuuri says quickly and jumps off the bed. “Let’s just go have some breakfast, alright?”

After getting dressed in his winter _kimono_ and _hakama_ , both brown and plain like the soil, Yuuri follows his aunt downstairs. Someone has fortunately lit the fireplace already, when winter is drawing closer, coldness always finds new ways to invade the corners of the house no matter what they do. But if anything helps against the freezing air, it’s food. Yuuri can’t help but sigh contently when the warm scent fills his nose, Aunt Minako has just set the dishes on the low table in the middle of the room. Ironically, the table is probably the most normal piece of furniture they have in their home: many of the others don’t really fit in with it, serving as memories of the years Aunt Mila and Aunt Sara spent in Europe. Yuuri knows Aunt Minako is the only one of them who still sleeps on a futon – he himself got a Western-style bed as a birthday present at the age of 12 when his aunts decided he should get some more privacy by sleeping on his own. He doesn’t mind the weirdness of their interior decoration, though. It’s nice how their house is filled with things one couldn’t imagine there being when observing the house from outside. It’s like they’re hiding a real secret behind its walls.

“Yuuri, you’re up!” Minako cries and dashes to him, apron ready to fly. She takes his face between her hands and rises to his toes to kiss his forehead, Yuuri hasn’t still got used to the fact that he actually managed to grow taller than her. “Did you sleep well, my boy?”

“Quite alright, Aunt Minako. How about you?”

“I would have slept better if your other aunts had been a little more quiet last night,” Aunt Minako replies, glancing angrily at Aunt Sara who flushes at the comment – she and Mila share a little room downstairs and when enjoying themselves, they have a tendency to fill the house with loud giggles that Yuuri can’t help from hearing. It’s a bit weird they get so giggly after lights have been switched off, though.

“But never mind me, come to eat before your breakfast gets cold,” Aunt Minako says, the slight strictness of her voice indicating an upcoming reproof. “And don’t forget to stand straight, Yuuri, you know how important it is to have a good posture!”

“Yes, Aunt Minako.”

At least this time there’s nothing more Yuuri should fix about his appearance or behaviour – he doesn’t want to remember that time when he forgot to comb his hair when he got down for breakfast (according to Aunt Minako, even peasant boys need to look like they would be ready to be introduced to the Emperor). He sits next to Aunt Mila who has just sat on the floor, yawning like she had woken up no longer than two minutes ago. It’s a bit unfair that she is allowed to have breakfast in a nightgown and with a messy hair.

Yuuri’s days have a certain pattern they follow, starting from the shared breakfast and ending in him falling asleep in his bed. Despite his efforts, his aunts haven’t let him help with the housework and instead do it all by themselves. However, that doesn’t mean Yuuri could spend his days doing nothing: in fact it feels more like he is busier than anyone else. His days are filled with studying: mathematics, economy, history of Japan and the West, language arts, calligraphy and even ballroom dancing that Minako learnt when she was travelling in Europe years before Yuuri was born. He doesn’t hate studying, quite on the contrary, he loves to fill his mind with new information and imagine himself into different environments, both in Japan and abroad. Still, he doesn’t understand why his aunts want him to learn all these things: what he has understood from the history books, commoners like him make their living from farming and sales work and things like that. Ordinary people don’t need to be well educated, they don’t benefit from it in any way. After all, only people who are born into good families have a chance to use their knowledge for something important.

“Don’t say that, Yurochka,” Mila snaps when Yuuri has once again pointed out that he will never need to use his knowledge about the great European war where nations fought against each other just because they thought their version of Christian religion was better than that of the enemy. “No knowledge is ever useless: just remember what ideal movement is popular in Europe right now, the Age of Enlightenment!”

“But Aunt Mila, we live in Japan…”

“That’s right and we have our own customs here; however, it doesn’t mean we couldn’t borrow some ideas from abroad,” she says with a grin. “Besides, I think everyone should have the right to study: the more we learn about the world, the more we will understand and the less we will fear. History is very important too, one cannot understand the present nor the future if one doesn’t know about the past. Now, what was the name of the very famous English queen of the House of Tudor who is associated with the Spanish Armada?”

“Victoria?”

“No, Yurochka, it’s Elizabeth! England has never had a queen called Victoria,” Mila sighs. “I can’t believe you still can’t memorize it, you remember the name of every important ruler in history but not Elizabeth!”

“I know,” Yuuri mumbles, “I don’t understand why I can’t remember her… I need to come up with a way to memorize the name…”

He lets his thoughts return to the past he never got to experience, into fearless battles fought in a continent he will be never able to see. There’s not many classes left today, but on days like this, Yuuri secretly wishes he would be handed a pile of work that would prevent him from leaving the house. On days like this, filled with freezing winds and the scent of the approaching winter, he remembers how close the borders of his world lie, he is now able to see them when the trees have lost their leaves. The forest loses its beauty for months unless snow returns to them, but it’s not something Yuuri can count on. In his world, there’s nothing left for him to study, for everything around him is familiar already. Still, it would be tolerable if only he had someone with whom he could share his little world. But no matter how hard he wishes for it, the forest won’t answer to his prayers and grant him the one thing his heart truly desires: a friend.

 

 

***

The flame of the candle flickers a little when Minako sits down on her knees in front of the dining table, quiet as the night air. This is one of the rare moments of the day when she can actually use a little bit of magic, the ability she and her colleagues have managed to keep hidden from Yuuri for 15 years. It’s a little risky, though, they need to make sure every time that all the windows and doors are closed so that no traces of magic can escape to the outside world and lead the Dark Fairy to them. Still, she wouldn’t miss the chance of using magic every day at any price. Even fairies need to practice their skills, Minako has seen enough nightmares where she has suddenly lost her powers and been unable to do anything when the Dark Fairy has appeared in their house and taken her precious prince from her. After each of those nightmares, she has to embrace the child for so long he tells her he can’t breathe. She has to make sure he is still here.

“Do you think he is already asleep?”

“He must be,” Mila whispers and closes her eyes for a few seconds, concentrating on the silence where every sound echoes thrice as loudly as usual. “Yup, he is asleep. What was it you wanted to talk about, _mýshka_?”

“I’m a little worried about our prince,” Sara says with a frown, “you must have noticed that he has been feeling a little down lately.”

“Well, Yuuri tends to be quite melancholic,” Minako says with a sigh, she can’t really get as worried about the situation. The prince has grown to be a very loveable young man, fulfilling all of the prophecies. He is very kind although a bit quiet and shy about his feelings but also very hardworking and clever. And whenever he dances, he becomes a whole different person, the center of attention, someone you can’t take your eyes off of. Sure, he is melancholic by nature but Minako wouldn’t count it as a fault. To her, the prince is the most wonderful being on earth.

“Minako is right, _zolotse_ , and you know how the prince always starts to feel a bit blue when winter arrives: maybe he is suffering from winter depression or something, at least some of my fairy friends who live in the Northern Europe are affected by the lack of light? I know it’s not that dark here, but I do notice that I’m more tired now that the days are getting shorter.”

“Yes, but now he’s surely feeling more down than usually!” Sara snaps at them. “Don’t you understand, he is lonely and I really can’t blame him for feeling that way! He doesn’t have anyone but us, he has never seen an actual human being although he thinks we are of the same breed! But even if we were humans like him, it wouldn’t still be the same: we are his guardians, he wants someone who is closer to his age and doesn’t watch his every move! This morning, he told me he had dreamt of having a friend…”

“You know it’s impossible,” Minako says, “I understand how you feel, I really do, but we can’t have him interact with other people before he has returned to the palace and the curse has been broken. The less people he knows, the safer he will be. I promised the Emperor and Empress to keep him safe and I will not break that promise.”

“But what if this isolation will be the trigger that will eventually shatter his heart?” Sara says, her face pale. “You know how fragile his heart is, what if it breaks because it can’t take his loneliness anymore? What if this is exactly what the Dark Fairy wants, to have us drive the prince to his death?”

Minako feels her heart stop for a second and that tiny moment is enough for her body to fill with panic. The pictures are flashing quickly in her eyes, his dear boy lying lifeless in front of them, the pieces of his heart being ripped out of his body by the Dark Fairy. Minako wipes her eyes quickly dry, she must not give in to fear, that’s how they will only lose to the Dark Fairy. She needs to come up with something, make sure his prince will be as happy as possible, protect his fragile heart from shattering.

“She’s right,” Mila whispers after a while, her voice trembling with fear. “What are we going to do?”

“We’ll give him something so great he will forget his loneliness,” Minako says firmly. “Another young boy won’t do, unfortunately, but I’m sure there’s something that can make him just as happy. Besides, his birthday is in a few days. If one of us travels to the capital, I’m sure we’ll find something nice for him.”

“I think the one has to be you,” Mila says, “you’re the only one of us who actually looks Japanese and thus won’t draw attention – it’s too bad fairies can’t shapeshift, because it would be very helpful right now.” 

“Excellent, I will start packing for the journey right away then!”

“Actually, there is still something we’ve been wanting to discuss with you,” Sara says when Minako is just about to rise to her feet. There’s something in her tone that makes her feel a little suspicious about her colleague’s intentions.

“What is it?”

Sara bites her lower lip and glances quickly at her lover before opening her mouth. “Minako, you are one of the wisest and most talented fairies we have ever met and we respect you more than anyone. But we just wanted to make sure that you are aware of our position.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well,” Mila continues, “you are very affectionate with the prince. As though he was your own child.”

“Of course, I _am_ Yuuri’s guardian, just like the two of you, and it is my duty to offer him a safe and loving environment to grow up!” Minako says, unable to prevent her voice rising a little. “Can you possibly be suggesting that I should behave differently around him?”

“Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Sara says in an apologetic manner, “we are not asking you to change anything and believe us, we love the prince just as much as you do. But you do realize he won’t stay a child forever and when the day comes, we have to return him to the palace, to his real parents. And then he won’t be our Yuuri anymore, he will be Prince Toshiya, the second-born child of Emperor Toshiya and Empress Hiroko and the younger brother of Crown Princess Mari. They are his real family, not us.”

Irritation making her body tremble, Minako stands up and glares at her colleagues. “Don’t tell me what I already know. How could you ever think I wouldn’t give Hiroko her child back, she’s my dearest friend after all!”

 

 

***

“Yuuri, come downstairs! Minako has returned!”

Yuuri tosses the book aside and sprints to the stairs without another command, his heart starting to throb more eagerly at the thought of the reunion. A few days ago, he learnt from Aunt Sara that Aunt Minako had left for a quick visit to one of the cities nearby and would stay there for a little while. At first it felt a little strange; his aunts avoided leaving the forest at any cost, claiming life was so restless in places where other people had been packed, but after he gave it a second thought, the visit started to make more sense. It was the timing that helped him to figure it out, today would be his 15th birthday. Yuuri would have lied to himself if he claimed he was only happy about Aunt Minako’s return and didn’t care about the present at all. Anything that was brought to their home from the outside world was almost as interesting as the stories told of the past.

“There you are, have you been a good boy while I was away?” Aunt Minako cries, greeting him with open arms. An unfamiliar smell lingers on her cloak, it smells like bustle, a breath of the city. Yuuri wants to ask her to share every little detail about her trip, fill his mind with colourful pictures of beautiful buildings and well-dressed people, but before he realizes, Aunt Minako has released him from her embrace and starts to drag him towards her room.

“I brought something for you,” she says with an excited grin. “Go on, open the door.”

Yuuri places his hand on the doorknob and pushes the door cautiously open. He doesn’t find the gift at first, Aunt Minako’s room is dark, the shutters closed. But then something bumps softly into him, something small, warm and unbelievably fluffy. Holding his breath, Yuuri bends down to sink his fingers into the fur of the most beautiful animal he has ever seen.

“It’s a poodle, a dog breed that is raised in Europe,” Minako explains when Yuuri takes the dog carefully into his arms. “Some people had brought a few of them to the country and were selling them to those who were interested. Happy birthday, Yuuri.”

A few warm tears roll onto his cheeks, only to be licked away by his new companion. Smiling, Yuuri turns to her aunts who all seem to become more relaxed when they see his expression. He can’t understand why they were feeling so worried about his birthday present: there’s no way they would have picked him a bad one. Not once in his life have they given him something he didn’t like.

“This is the best birthday present I’ve ever got. Thank you so much!”

“Anything for our dear boy. I’m glad you like her.”

“To be honest, this little girl was a very pleasant surprise to me and Mila as well,” Sara says, dropping onto the floor next to Yuuri and petting the dog with an adoring look on her face. ”What are you going to name her?”

Yuuri doesn’t need to think about that for long. “Victoria.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Aunt Mila says, rising her right eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you just mix the names up again?”

“No way,” Yuuri says with a grin, “now I can surely remember a dog wouldn’t be named after a queen.”

Outside, the sky has been filled with white stars that float slowly towards the ground. Snow has returned for his birthday.

 

 

***

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation again! How can my son possibly say something like that?”

Phichit swallows the words that were waiting for their turn on his tongue, they’re useless against his mother right now, completely stripped of strength. He counts silently to five before trying to form his thoughts into something that would come out as less misleading.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Mother. I just don’t know if I can love someone I have never met, or marry them for that matter.”

“That attitude doesn’t make your words any better,” his mother snaps, dark eyes full of fire. This is the reason Phichit never shares his worries with her, for every time she manages to make the situation a battle of words. No matter what triggers the war, the winner is known by both of them before it ends. Just like in this case.

“Don’t you understand,” his mother says with a sigh, “this is not something you can speculate on. There’s only one thing you can – and more importantly – must do. This isn’t about you, Phichit, this is about the future of our important ally! When they faced the most horrible crisis one could imagine, I promised them we wouldn’t abandon them and I will never break my promises. If you won’t become the hero they need, only the devil himself will know what that heartless creature will do to the people of Japan! And what if he starts to want for more, what if he moves to out kingdom to continue his terror? You don’t want your people to face that threat, now do you?”

Phichit shivers at the thought, he has heard stories of the Dark Fairy, a creature who is almost too beautiful to be real and whose soul has never had any drops of light in it. The idea of him trying to defy that person feels way too unrealistic; if a whole army would lose against him, what chances could he possibly have? Phichit is not stupid, he knows the case won’t be closed even if he manages to save his fiancé. The so-called power of love won’t be enough against the Dark Fairy when he needs to face him for real. However, he shares none of this with his mother, he knows what he would hear anyway. This is his destiny, she would say, Thai heroes are fearless and he needs to follow their principles. Too bad he doesn’t feel like one.

“No mother, I don’t. Excuse me.”

Before his mother can say anything else, Phichit rushes away from her, fleeing to the peace of the library. Back pressed against the door, he lets out a deep sigh, only to almost choke in the process. It takes him a whole three seconds to realize he isn’t actually alone. Opposite him, hidden between two high shelves full of ancient books sits a boy of his age. Unlike the members of the royal family, the boy has ivory skin, which makes him to stand out a bit in the court. At least his hair is the same, pitch-black like the night.

”Gee, Seung-gil, you scared me!”

“I’m sorry for having a minimal presence, your highness. Next time I’ll try to be a little louder so that our encounters won’t result in you having a heart attack.”

“What are you talking about, you’re always so silly, Seung-gil!” Phichit says, feeling the weight of anxiety disappear from his shoulders. “Is there anyone else here?”

“Not as far as I know, your highness.”

“You know you don’t need to call me ‘your highness’ when we’re alone,” Phichit huffs, it doesn’t feel natural to be treated formally by people who are the same age as he is. Besides, Seung-gil is not just anyone: he is someone whom Phichit considers his friend. His parents, both of Korean heritage, are very interested in science and well known even outside the Korean soil. Having awakened the curiosity of Phichit’s mother and father, they invited the Lee family to their kingdom and promised to support their research wholeheartedly. Seung-gil also moved to Thailand with them, receiving the same pros as his parents and earning the permission to move quite freely about the palace. Like his mother and father, he likes to spend his days inside with his books, safe from the sun. Sometimes Phichit wishes Seung-gil would be a little more interested in other things than reading, but otherwise he doesn’t complain. With Seung-gil, he can always take it easier for a while.

“Mind if I sit with you for a minute?”

Seung-gil shrugs and Phichit interprets the gesture as a permission, claiming the chair next to him. For a few minutes, he simply follows how his friend turns the pages in silence before deciding to share his feelings with him.

“Anyway, now that you’re here, I wanted to hear your opinion of something…”

“I assume you’re talking about your engagement,” Seung-gil says without taking his eyes off the book.

“You’re right! How did you guess?”

“You don’t need to be a genius to guess that. I’m sure anyone who happens to own two ears would have guessed it. Your mother, the queen, made her opinion quite clear.”

Phichit sneers at the comment, his mother sure can lecture him but sometimes she could do it a little more quietly.

“Yeah… So, what do you think I should do?”

“That’s simple: I think you should do what you’re expected.”

“Really?” Phichit questions with wide eyes. “I thought this would be the part where you, my friend, tried to show that you support my views.”

“It’s not that I don’t support them. I just don’t think you can rely on your feelings when solving this.”

“Is that what you would do if you were in my place? Wouldn’t you be bothered that you were married off to someone you don’t even know?”

This time, Seung-gil actually stops reading and turns to face Phichit with a blank expression. “Feelings and ideas of love are trivial and overrated. For the sake of everyone involved, it’s best to do as you’re told.”

They don’t share another word for the rest of the time Phichit spends in the library, not even though he dislikes silence so much. Instead, he lets himself sink into the pictures his imagination offers to him, pictures of his faceless fiancé. He wonders if he would feel anxious about the future as well if he knew anything about the plans their parents had arranged for them. More than that, he hopes his fiancé is someone he would be able to love.


	3. Once upon a dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the meadow, close to the greenish pond sits someone Viktor never imagined he would bump into in his forest: a human boy. A very beautiful human boy, to be more precise. Beautiful enough to make Viktor forget his hatred for humans for a while. For he is sure the boy appreciates his surroundings more than others of his kind, he fits in here, that’s for sure. It can be seen from the gleam of his brown eyes, from his glowing cheeks and ruffled hair that has been caressed by the warm summer wind. He is barefoot, sandals lying on the grass next to him, safe from the dog that looks exactly like Makkachin, only in a smaller size. As the dog tries to sneak towards the sandals, probably for the hundredth time of the day, the boy lets out a disapproving sound that soon turns into laughter and grabs the dog into his arms. Viktor can feel his heart skip a beat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phww, from time to time it felt like this chapter was never going to be finished; I can’t even describe how tiring this academic year has been... Once again, sorry for taking a while updating, but thank you all for being so supportive and patient with me! As promised, in this one Viktor is going to meet a very pretty boy who is definitely not the very prince he is planning to get killed before his next birthday.  
> Hope you enjoy reading! :>

The dream world always takes a new form, something Yuuri can never control. Even if he wished for his favourite surroundings to reappear, the dream world always has some other plans for him, something he can never guess while asleep. Sometimes he finds himself walking between hundreds of identical trees, sometimes in a land whose appearance is far from being realistic. This time, though, the dream world is clean from shapes; no matter what direction he gazes in, all he can see is white emptiness. And then the shadow appears.

Yuuri was waiting for it to come, for he always sees it, at least a glimpse of it. Lately, the shadow has been acting a bit distant for some reason, like it had started to feel shy all of a sudden. But today, none of the shyness is left to see. Before Yuuri can even greet it, the shadow has twisted itself around him, wrapping its arms around him from behind. Its grip is neither warm nor cold, it even feels as if nothing was holding him, but when he tries to move a little, his body stays in place like a statue.

_“What’s gotten into you?”_

The shadow doesn’t reply, it never does as its language has no words. Instead, it pushes its shapeless face against Yuuri’s ear, leaving a cool touch on his skin. Yuuri shivers at it.

_“What are you doing?”_

Still quiet, the shadow brushes his neck softly, experimentally like it wanted to know how he would react to it. Yuuri lets out a quiet gasp, it feels… weird, for at the moment he can’t come up with a better word to describe the sensation. Still, he doesn’t dislike it, doesn’t feel unsafe. At this point, he has learnt the shadow would never harm him.

_“Y-you’re really being weird…”_

At the next heartbeat, Yuuri feels his body freeze. He has heard something he should not have been able to hear, a sound that doesn’t belong to him. The shadow’s grip loosens a little, allowing him to turn to it. Mouth open, he stares at the face of a man whom he has never seen in his life and whose features look so vague he could never be able to describe them. But one thing he can recognize, a smile that is twisting the lips of the shadow.

_“Yuuri.”_

Flinching, Yuuri tears himself free from the grip of the dream. The sight of the wooden ceiling of his room lets his lungs release all the air they were holding just a little while ago. Silently, he listens to his body to calm down, to brush away the feelings of confusion. Never in his life, in those twenty years he has dwelled in this world has the shadow uttered a word to him. All this time Yuuri had thought the shadow to be mute or at least unable to speak his language but today, out of nowhere, the shadow proved him otherwise. On one hand the discovery makes him delighted, but on the other he feels he should be alert. Until now, the shadow has served as an imaginary friend of sorts, as something he could never have in his life, but now that he heard it talk, felt it hold him as though they were something more special than friends, he feels scared. It’s like the shadow has suddenly become almost real and if he doesn’t do anything, it will grow out of his dreams and find him in his closed world. Yuuri shivers at the thought, would the shadow embrace him like it did just a while ago or would it devour him like he feared when he was a child?

Someone is scratching the leg of his bed and Yuuri peeks at the floor, a smile seizing his lips when he finds Vicchan waiting for him to lift her on the bed. Even though she’s not a pup anymore, she still feels light and cuddly in his arms.

“Maybe I’m just overreacting, it wouldn’t be the first time,” Yuuri mutters, more to himself than to the dog. “He… the shadow wouldn’t harm me, right, Vicchan?”

If Vicchan really was going to answer him, her thoughts never reach Yuuri as they get buried under the knock at the door. A second later, Aunt Mila peeks inside, blue eyes full of glee.

“Did you look outside yet, Yurochka? Go open your window, it’s so beautiful out there!”

Obediently, Yuuri jumps off the bed and rushes to the window with Vicchan in his arms. He can already guess what Aunt Mila is talking about, but it still manages to surprise him, manages to fill his heart with warmth. Summer has finally come.

 

 

***

If wings were the number one thing every fairy treasured in their appearance, the hair would definitely reach the second spot on the list. Every fairy, regardless of gender, tended their hair with care and the longer and shinier the locks were, the more beautiful the fairy was considered. Viktor stares at his reflection, he can still feel the phantom touch of his hair against his hips. Now that the locks are also gone, he is starting to resemble humans more and more every day. Talk about irony.

A slam echoes in the hallway and Viktor turns to the kitchen, sneering a little at Yuri’s figure. The teen’s eyes widen a little when their gazes meet, never during their shared years together has Yuri had longer hair than him. Still, it’s far from Viktor’s best length, but with a right spell his apprentice could have hair that reached his lower back in minutes. With another spell, Viktor could turn Yuri into his clone and make him take his place as the feared Dark Fairy, but he is sure the teen would never let him do that, so he just keeps the thought to himself.

Finally, Yuri opens his mouth. ”You cut your hair.”

This is not exactly a compliment, nor is it an expression of disappointment – it’s merely a statement voiced in a flat tone that could indicate anything. Still, Viktor decides to believe Yuri is leaning more towards positive than negative.

“Yes, I thought I needed something refreshing,” Viktor replies and runs his fingers through his hair, he still hasn’t got used to it, it’s been at least one hundred (or maybe two hundred?) years since his hair was this short. “Do you like it?”

Yuri shrugs. “It’s okay, I guess. Suits someone who is on the edge of balding.”

“How cruel of you, I’m not getting bald!” Viktor cries in horror and whisks his bangs away from his eyes to prove the point. “See, my hair is perfectly healthy, just like I, an immortal and eternally beautiful being, am!”

“Whatever, but the fact is your hairline is thinning. I guess no one is perfect, not even you, the mighty Dark Fairy. Now I’m sure you can relate a bit better to _my_ problem!”

Viktor lets out a sigh, of course Yuri wanted to take it out on him, he has been going on about the same thing for a while now. Although shapeshifters aren’t immortal, they live longer than humans and also age more slowly than them. However, that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t age at all, but for some reason, Yuri hasn’t grown an inch, nor become any more mature-looking in twenty years. He looks as though he has been trapped in an everlasting adolescence, someone who never gets past his 16th birthday.

“I promised to take care of it, remember? I’ll find a way to make you grow normally again.”

“Is that so?” Yuri says bitterly. “Funny how I’m starting to lose my faith in you. You haven’t made any progress at all and you were supposed to be the greatest magic-user of your kind.”

“I still am and I’ve been studying your case all this time, you know that,” Viktor says patiently. “And as you also know, I’m quite sure you were cursed by one of my kind when they attacked your community. Curses are not easy to break, especially when cast by powerful magic-users, but I know I can fix it. It’s not a death curse, after all.”

“Lucky me,” Yuri says without even attempting to sound like he actually meant it but at least his look is a little less irritated. “What were you doing in the hallway anyway besides blocking the way with your ridiculous cloak and overly large ego?”

“I was just about to go out to enjoy the sun, it’s a beautiful day if you haven’t noticed,” Viktor says, gesturing towards the window that has let a bit of summer inside their house. “I’m planning to go for a walk in the forest, do you want to join me?”

Yuri glances at the sun and grimaces at its brightness. “I’ll pass, the sun is bad for my skin and I hate heat. Besides, since a certain genius has told me to spend my nights searching for the lost prince, I should spend my days sleeping in case I want to be at least somewhat functional.”

“Keep up the good work, I’m sure you’ll find the prince soon,” Viktor says cheerfully and heads outside before Yuri can declare another war on him. Sighing, he lets the light embrace his face and accepts the sweetest kisses of the newly begun summer. That’s the only sweet thing the sun will gift him, for light his skin shall remain no matter how much he would appreciate a nice tan. Still, he is not even dressed well for the weather: dark pants and a long-sleeved shirt would make a normal human sweat and when covered with a long cloak, he probably resembles a walking sauna. Luckily for him (and his tendency to pick his clothes to match his mood instead of the weather), his magic allows him to keep his body cool even in the harsh heat. At times like this, Viktor really enjoys being a fairy.

 

 

***

Summer has lifted the woods to their highest glory, painted everything with the brightest shades of green. Viktor walks in silence, eyes half-lidded as he lets the sounds and smells of nature surround him. To be honest, he is actually quite happy that Yuri didn’t want to join him: his hot-blooded apprentice just cannot calm down and immerse himself in the world of peacefulness. And to Viktor, to a fairy who was born from snowflakes in the silence of a deserted forest, the woods serve as the most sacred place he knows.

The grass rustles softly behind him as his long cape brushes against the ground, but Viktor doesn’t bother to gather the hem in his arms. As vain as he can be, Viktor never worries about his appearance when spending time in his forest – there is no one here to judge him anyway. When here, no one is treating him as an egotistical show-off or as a monster who wants nothing more than to fill the country with fear. In the woods, he is always treated as a guardian of sorts. Every time he comes for a visit, the trees will bow to him and whisper him their sincerest gratitude. Thanks to him, the forest has survived the fire.

But today the forest is different, restless even. It’s whispering about a stranger, someone who has arrived some time before him. Viktor frowns at the murmurs and lifts his finger to his lips to calm the forest down; if anyone has arrived here with bad intentions, they are to leave the place in tiny pieces. With the forest as his guide, Viktor heads to east, his steps quiet as the summer wind. Now he has heard the stranger as well, their giggle echoing from nearby. Holding his breath, Viktor lowers himself on the ground and crawls closer to a bush of bracken to spy on the stranger in peace. The sight, however, almost makes him gasp.

In the meadow, close to the greenish pond sits someone Viktor never imagined he would bump into in his forest: a human boy. A very beautiful human boy, to be more precise. Beautiful enough to make Viktor forget his hatred for humans for a while. For he is sure the boy appreciates his surroundings more than others of his kind, he fits in here, that’s for sure. It can be seen from the gleam of his brown eyes, from his glowing cheeks and ruffled hair that has been caressed by the warm summer wind. He is barefoot, sandals lying on the grass next to him, safe from the dog that looks exactly like Makkachin, only in a smaller size. As the dog tries to sneak towards the sandals, probably for the hundredth time of the day, the boy lets out a disapproving sound that soon turns into laughter and grabs the dog into his arms. Viktor can feel his heart skip a beat.

“Easy now, Vicchan. I already told you not to eat them, you silly,” the boy says in Japanese, loud enough for Viktor to hear it. There’s something extremely soft in the way he speaks, something that makes Viktor like his voice immediately. Carefully, he leans a bit forward in his hiding spot, to make sure he won’t miss any word the boy will utter in his solitude.

The boy pets his dog and continues his monologue. “You know what, Vicchan, I’ve been thinking about the dreams I have had lately. I don’t know what kind of dreams other people have, but it feels so weird that I see the shadow in every dream I can recall. And now that I’ve been thinking about it, I realized every time something different is going to happen, the role of the shadow changes. When I was a child and got rid of my fear of the monsters that could devour me in my sleep, the shadow ceased to be scary. And some time before I got you, the shadow started to act as if it was my friend. Now it’s different towards me again, I wonder what will happen to me next…”

At that very moment, Viktor notices a rather large bug that had started to wander along the back of his hand and lets out a high-pitched scream, bouncing to his feet to get rid of it. On the next heartbeat, he turns his head towards the spot where his dream-like human boy was sitting at least a while ago. To his relief, the boy is still there, but his thoughtful expression has been replaced by incipient panic. If Viktor fails now, he might not see the boy ever again, although at the moment it feels unlikely for him to run away. The poor human is frozen in place like a prey who had just decided to give in and succumb to an inevitable death.

Slowly, Viktor approaches him.

“It’s alright, don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you,” he says in Japanese, as softly as he can, and offers his hand to him. To his horror, it doesn’t seem to calm the boy one bit. Still on the ground, he flinches back and lifts his arm in front of his face. The dog has dashed before him to protect her master, teeth showing and tiny body tensed to show she could attack at any moment if Viktor took another step closer. It might have been slightly intimidating if Viktor didn’t know he was facing a tiny poodle. But even if his opponent was a bear, Viktor would win against it. He has been blessed with the greatest weapon he could ask for: the words.

Eyes locked with the dog, Viktor lowers himself down on his knees and starts to speak in his mother tongue, in low and smooth syllables. “ _It’s alright, little one, don’t be afraid. I only want to be friends with you. Let me prove it to you._ ”

Carefully, the dog takes a step closer to him like it was still pondering between two options, but then she pads across the grass to him. Viktor lets out a soft laugh when the dog starts to sniff him and rewards her with a cuddle. Then he turns back to the human boy who has been following his actions in silent curiosity.

”See, your dog can tell I’m not dangerous,” Viktor says and pets the dog behinds her ears. “What’s her name?”

“She is way too blue-eyed, she would trust anyone,” the boy replies quietly but at least his posture has relaxed a little. “Her name is Victoria, though I call her Vicchan.”

“Then she’s almost my namesake,” Viktor says, grinning at the boy’s puzzled reaction. “I’m Viktor. May I ask what the name of her beautiful master is?”

The boy flushes in a second, Viktor follows amusedly how crimson spreads all the way to his neck, disappearing somewhere under the collar of his blue yukata. “B-beautiful? A-are you talking about me?”

Viktor lets out a laugh and tilts his head a little, desperate to keep his act together in spite of his quickened pulse. “Who else would I be talking about, I don’t see any other person here but you.”

“How could I know for sure when it’s coming from someone like you,” the boy mutters, more to himself than Viktor, so quietly he is almost unable to catch it. For a second, Viktor actually believes he won’t hear any more sentences from the boy, but then he meets his eyes again, his lips parting for a new reply. This time, his voice is clear and calm.

“Yuuri. My name is Yuuri.”

“Yuuri, huh?” Viktor repeats, just to try out how the name rolls on his tongue. It’s quite close to Yuri’s name, ironically, but the stress is a little different. Judging from the look on the boy’s face, he got it right on the first try.

“You have such a lovely name, Yuuri. Would it be alright if I sat with you for a while? I’d like to get to know you.”

Yuuri narrows his eyes a little like he was trying to decide whether Viktor was something he should avoid. “My aunts have told me not to talk to strangers.”

_Of course they have._

“But I’m not a stranger, we already know each other’s names,” Viktor says nevertheless, able to keep his expression pleasant and carefree, a look that has at least worked with those of his kind. No matter what Yuuri has learnt about the dangers of the world, Viktor will surely make him forget the advice. There’s no way he will let a boy like this go so easily.

“Besides, we’ve met before,” Viktor continues smoothly, trying to benefit from the conversation Yuuri was having with his dog just a few minutes ago. The boy frowns confusedly at his words.

“We have?”

“Yes, you said it yourself. In one of those dreams of yours.”

At this, Yuuri flushes again. “You’re the shadow?”

“That’s right, the shadow and everyone else you’ve encountered.”

“Now you’re just making things up,” Yuuri says, trying to sound stern, even though a smile has started to twist his lips upwards. “But if we talked a bit more, I might be able to decide whether I wanted you to stay a stranger to me.” He taps the ground next to him and glances at Viktor, the glimmer of his eyes revealing the interest he failed to conceal. Viktor knows he has won Yuuri’s trust already and comes to sit on his right side, safely afar so as not to scare him off. He has tons of questions waiting to be answered, but he wants to let Yuuri ask the first one. He can see the boy has plenty of them, too.

Yuuri stirs awkwardly in his place before clearing his throat. “Viktor… You’re not… Japanese, are you?”

Definitely not the question Viktor assumed to hear first.

“Oh my, did my accent give me off so easily?”

“No, no, I didn’t mean it like that, I’m so sorry if I offended you,” Yuuri hurries before Viktor can add that he was just kidding. “Your Japanese is excellent. It’s just… well, you look a bit different compared to the people here.”

“It’s alright, I wasn’t offended,” Viktor assures him and Yuuri exhales visibly. “You’re absolutely right, I’m not originally from here. I’m Russian.”

It might not have been very wise to reveal his ethnicity to him; Viktor is sure everyone who has heard of the Dark Fairy remembers where he is from. But Yuuri simply nods at his words and proceeds to ask additional questions, such as how long has he lived here and has he liked the country so far. Viktor decides he can put his mind at ease, as long as he keeps on pretending to be human, he should be alright. Luckily for him, Yuuri has grown up avoiding the stories about the malicious threat that resides somewhere inside the barriers of Japan.

“But never mind me, I want to hear something about you too, Yuuri,” Viktor says. “No, not something – everything!”

Yuuri lets out an embarrassed sound. “That won’t take long. I’m not very interesting.”

“Oh, I dare to disagree,” Viktor says and brushes lightly the back of Yuuri’s right hand. “How about I ask the questions and make my conclusion based on your answers? Let’s start with something simple, shall we? First, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty years old. How about you?”

“Twenty-five,” Viktor replies without any trouble, at least that’s how he looks to humans. Where appearance is concerned, most fairies remain in their twenties for most of their lives and to be honest, Viktor doesn’t feel much older than that either. After living for hundreds of years, all his memories are starting to shape into a hazy mass, into a cloud where events of the past are losing their importance. Except for certain things: there’s always something he can never forget.

“It’s nice to meet someone who is close to my age,” Yuuri says, smiling a little. “I… I haven’t met that many people, to begin with.”

“Really? Why is that?”

“Well, I’m sure you have noticed there are not that many people living in the woods.”

“That’s true,” Viktor says, frowning a little. Now that he thinks about it, he didn’t know about anyone else living in his forest. And knowing how many people are nowadays avoiding isolated places due to his influence, it’s quite weird to see someone act against the norms… unless that someone was the prince himself. The chance is small, but it still exists.

Viktor lets his eyes wander on Yuuri, trying to find something similar to the Emperor and Empress, whose faces have lost their features in his mind. If he wanted to be certain, he could always use some magic on the boy, but then he would lose his cover and ruin everything for sure. And when Viktor looks at him, he can’t find a single drop of hatred he felt towards the baby when he crashed his celebration almost twenty-one years ago. If he met the prince now, he would definitely know who he was. One just cannot forget hatred so deep.

Yuuri blinks in an uneasy way, forcing Viktor to shake off the thought. He has no idea how long he has been staring at him.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m fine,” Viktor says smoothly and leans a bit closer to him. “I was just admiring you. Did I already tell you how beautiful you look?”

Yuuri visibly retreats from him and lowers his gaze to his lap. “Will you please stop saying that? You make me feel a bit embarrassed.”

“Of course, if it makes you feel uncomfortable. I’m sorry for crossing the line,” Viktor says even though he feels a bit frustrated to see Yuuri not warm up to his attempts. “What were we talking about before that? Right, you of course! You said you haven’t met that many people. What’s your family like?”

This time, it takes a while for Yuuri to answer.

“My parents… they were not the wealthiest of people, but they lived a good life, at least that’s what I’ve been told. My father was a fisherman, we lived by the coast when I was a baby, and my mother looked after me at home. But once when my father was at the sea, a storm struck and he drowned. Apparently, my mother couldn’t take it and died of sorrow soon after…”

Little by little, the strength of Yuuri’s voice grows weaker, his presence more aloof. Viktor curses himself for making the atmosphere so depressing and apologizes for asking about something so personal, something clearly painful.

Yuuri shakes his head a little. “It’s alright, it’s me who still gets overly emotional about people who I can’t even remember. It’s so silly, right, to get sad over someone who was part of your life for such a short time?”

Viktor places his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder and this time, he doesn’t retreat from him anymore.

“It’s not silly at all, Yuuri. You have the right to feel sad about it. What happened to you after that?”

“Well, I would probably have died, but my aunts happened to visit the hut to buy some fish and found me. They didn’t want me to face the same faith as my father, so they took me to inland, far away from the sea. They settled down in a small cabin in the forest and we’ve been here together ever since then.”

“And you’re happy with them?”

“Most of the time yes, very happy,” Yuuri says coyly, “they have been very good to me, they even gifted Vicchan to me when I was feeling lonely. They can be a bit strict sometimes, especially with sticking to the timetable… Oh my god, is it that late already?” Yuuri ends the sentence with a horrified scream, his eyes widening at the sky whose colours are still far from the evening. “I promised not to be out for more than a couple of hours, they’re going to kill me! I’m sorry, I have to go!”

“Wait!” Viktor yells when the boy is about to run away from him without saying a proper goodbye. “When are you planning to come here again? I’d like to see you again… if that’s alright with you, that is.”

For a few seconds, Yuuri looks actually bewildered like he didn’t even expect Viktor to ask for such a thing. Then, the sweet smile returns on his face.

“Is tomorrow alright? Here at noon?”

“I’ll be here,” Viktor promises. “Can I ask for one more thing? If it’s alright, could you keep me a secret from your aunts? I… well, I have my reasons to keep a low profile while I’m here.”

That might have been a risky thing to say, too, but Yuuri nods without any doubt. “My aunts wouldn’t be happy about me meeting a stranger, either. I’ll keep you as my secret.”

“And I’ll keep you as mine. Until tomorrow then, Yuuri,” Viktor says and takes Yuuri’s hand in his own, lifting it gently to his lips. For the peasant he appears to be, Yuuri has the softest hands Viktor has ever seen. If he could, he would definitely leave another kiss on the back of his hand, if not of courtesy, then to see how red the boy’s cheeks can get.

“Don’t forget your sandals,” Viktor says innocently when Yuuri just keeps staring at him in disbelief. The comment seems to set him free from the shock and he bends quickly down to snatch his shoes on the grass, muttering something like a farewell to Viktor’s feet before hurrying to the opposite direction of Viktor’s home. Viktor chuckles lightly as he watches Yuuri and Vicchan run until they become too small for his eyes follow. When alone again, he can finally let the warmth paint his cheeks pink. Never in his life has he met a creature as gorgeous as Yuuri.

Viktor is not sure how long it takes for him to walk back to his house, for his steps feel light and heavy at the same time, his body ready to burst. As he passes through the invisible shield he has put on to protect his home, he finds Yuri sitting on the wooden terrace of the house, trying to cool himself with a simple paper fan he “borrowed” from some family whose home he was checking some weeks ago. The teen raises his eyebrow suspiciously at him, Viktor is not sure what gave him away, but he is pretty sure he is smiling a bit too much.

”You look like a mess. Did you get a sunstroke or what?”

“Nothing like that, dear Yura,” Viktor says cheerfully. “I just happened to meet the most beautiful boy in the universe.”

Yuri stops fanning his face and gives him a very disapproving look.

“Are you out of your fucking mind? The moment I let you out of my sight you forget how to use your brain and start thinking with your dick! Viktor, what the fuck?”

“You’re wrong about that, I was thinking with my _heart_ – mostly, at least.”

“That’s not the fucking point!” Yuri screams. “You don’t have _time_ for any love games, you should be concentrating on carrying out your plan and helping me with my problem!”

“Don’t be silly, Yura, I have plenty of time for all of that,” Viktor says and bends down to ruffle Yuri’s hair, something the teen has always hated, “you would understand if you saw him. Yuuri is so sweet.”

“Yuuri?” Yuri repeats, annoyed. “Why the fuck does he have to have my name, do you have some disgusting thing for… Hang on, what species is he? Is he a fairy as well?”

“Didn’t I mention, he’s a human.”

This time, Yuri turns his head away for a moment and starts to mutter something that sounds like the list of every Russian swearword in alphabetical order. When he turns back to Viktor, his expression is disturbingly calm.

“I didn’t think I would have to remind you of this, but apparently I have to. You. Don’t. Like. Humans.”

“I know, but Yuuri is an exception.”

“Oh my fucking god, are you even listening to yourself?” Yuri yells at him, it didn’t take long for him to lose his temper again. “You know what humans are like, one pretty face won’t change the fact that they are the cruellest and most selfish creatures who dwell on this planet! Did you even check him, what if he was the prince I’ve been looking for?”

“I didn’t, but I know Yuuri is not the prince,” Viktor says calmly. “I would _never_ fall for the child of the royal couple no matter how beautiful he was.”

“That may be true, but if I were you, I would still have checked him,” Yuri grunts. “Fine, it seems I can’t change your mind, so go for it. But when you realize that your stupid crush is just as wicked as other humans, don’t come crying to me!”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Viktor says with a smile. “Don’t forget to drink some water when you get back in, it’s important to stay hydrated when it’s so warm.”

Yuri responds to him with a sound that could mean anything, and Viktor leaves him on the terrace as he returns to the comforting coolness of his home. Still, his body is unable to let go of the warmth, it has gathered inside his stomach where it’s waiting for the right opportunity to seize his chest and everything there is left of him. Viktor doesn’t remember the last time he was in love, but he is sure it never felt like this, capturing. He has already started to count minutes to his next meeting with Yuuri.

 

 

***

The words on the page have turned into an unrecognizable mess, something without a meaning. Judging from the picture, Yuuri was probably reading something about laws in Japan (although he has no idea why), but on the other hand he could be holding a book of ogres and he wouldn’t even be surprised about it. At this age, he should be better at concentrating on one thing and being able to force his wandering thoughts into submission, but this time Yuuri doesn’t want to do that. This time, he couldn’t care less about studying or anything that lies inside the walls of the house. His memory has clung to a feeling, to the moment that lasted only a few seconds. To the warmth that spread all across his body when Viktor’s lips brushed against his skin.

Yuuri readjusts himself on the cushions and runs his fingers absentmindedly through Vicchan’s fur. The dog has curled up against his leg, all ready for bed, but Yuuri can’t move his muscles just yet, not before he can make sense of the events he was in. No matter how he tries to doubt it, he definitely received a kiss, he knows that much at least. Yuuri has been kissed before by his aunts, mostly by Aunt Minako, on his forehead and his cheeks when he was little. Those kisses were always full of affection, they functioned as a way to tell him how treasured he was or as a way to comfort him after his fragile mind had once again decided to get anxious about nothing. But the function of Viktor’s kiss remains a mystery to him. Yuuri sighs quietly, if only he could ask his aunts about it. But he knows they would get suspicious if he suddenly started asking about the motives of a stranger kissing his hand and he could say goodbye to his dreams of getting some change in his routine-like life.

“Sara, my sweetie, I know it’s getting late, but could you make me a cup of tea?”

Yuuri turns his head in the direction of the sound, Aunt Mila and Aunt Sara are sitting on the other side of the room, close to each other like always. He hasn’t seen Aunt Minako since dinner, she has had a lot of business to run ever since the beginning of the year, something so secret she can’t share it with him. At first, Yuuri felt a little hurt because of it, but then again, now he has something he can’t let his aunts find out – at least not just yet. He wonders if this is what it takes to become truly an adult, to act against rules and keep up a façade.

Aunt Sara lets out a slightly irritated sound and lays her sewing to her lap. “Why didn’t you have some when we were having dinner? I offered it to you twice!”

“I know, but I didn’t feel like it at the time… But I’d love to have a cup now.”

“You’re a grown-up woman, Mila, and highly capable of brewing your own tea.”

Yuuri is not sure if Aunt Sara actually thought she was going to win the case, but when Aunt Mila grabs her arm and tilts her head like Vicchan would do if she was begging, Yuuri knows she has lost.

“But _malýška_ , no one makes better tea than you.”

Aunt Sara sighs and stands up, shaking her head a little. Even though she tries to keep her voice stern, she can’t hide the warmth behind the tone. “You really know how to persuade me, you cheeky woman! Fine, I’ll make you one, but next time it’s your turn, okay?”

Aunt Mila grins at her and takes her hand, lifting it to her lips. “I will. Thank you, _moyá khoróshaya_.”

There it is again. The hand-kiss.

Yuuri decides to take the risk and clears his throat awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I was just wondering what the hand-kiss is for… I think… I’ve seen it on the pages of some of the books I’ve read…”

Truthfully, Yuuri has no memory of ever seeing a hand-kiss in his books, but for his luck, Aunt Mila nods thoughtfully.

“Now that you mentioned it, I think it might be in one of those books of European history… Alright, Yurochka, let your auntie introduce you to some foreign customs. You know that your aunt Sara and I are married, right? Well, for us the hand-kiss is a way of showing our affection for each other. It’s like sharing those three little words with your significant other without any sound.”

Yuuri feels his cheeks burn.

“For us, it’s a romantic gesture,” Aunt Sara continues, “but in Europe it also serves as a respectful way for a gentleman to greet a lady – but since Mila and I need no other gentlemen than you in our lives, the two of us can perform the greeting by ourselves. But if you ever met a foreign lady and she offered you her hand, you could show your politeness by gently kissing it.”

“You said you’re kissing each other’s hands even though you’re both women… Is it possible for two men to act like that?”

For a second, Yuuri fears he has revealed too much, for his aunts share a meaningful look with each other. Then, mischievousness takes over their faces.

“Oh, Yurochka is dreaming of meeting a true prince charming!”

Yuuri blushes harder at the comment. “I was just asking theoretically!”

“Don’t feel embarrassed by it, sweet boy,” Aunt Sara cries and rushes to hug him, scaring Vicchan off. “Mila and I will definitely support you and find a nice husband for you!”

As Yuuri tries to get away from Aunt Sara’s strong embrace, the front door of their cabin flies open and Aunt Minako steps inside. She looks exhausted, so different from her usual neat look with a few strands of hair hanging freely from her loose bun. Yuuri wants to ask where she has been, but he knows she wouldn’t tell him, so he just keeps staring helplessly at her.

It feels like it takes a few moments for Minako to realize he is even present, but when she does, she frowns strictly at him.

”Aren’t you supposed to be in bed by now?”

“Oh come on, Minako!” Aunt Mila groans. “Yurochka is not a child anymore, he can stay up if he wants to!”

“No, she’s right,” Yuuri says obediently and rises to his feet, waving at Vicchan to follow him. “I’m sorry, Aunt Minako. Good night.”

To be honest, Yuuri wanted to have a moment alone, though he is unable to think about sleeping right now. Sighing softly, he lies on his bed and lets his eyes wander to a dark spot on the ceiling, the mark his gaze always finds when he is unable to fall asleep. Usually, staring at that familiar spot helps him to get rid of the overly complicated thoughts that tend to drive his mind close to overheating, but today Yuuri can’t calm himself down. This time, however, his mind isn’t busy with irrelevant fears. Swallowing, he places his palm on his chest, the intense throbbing nearly causing him to pull his hand away. He almost believes his aunts are able to hear the sound of it, too.

Before Vicchan joined his family, Yuuri used to dream of getting a friend, meeting a person with whom he could spend hours walking in the woods and chatting about everything without limits. However, never did he dream of meeting someone like Viktor, someone so beautiful, someone so capturing. And strange, in a way… it feels like Yuuri has no way of getting into his head and solve why he behaved the way he did. He can’t understand why Viktor was acting so intimate with him, especially when they haven’t known each other for long. Unless… No, that couldn’t be possible. No matter what he said, Yuuri knows he is not interesting, nor close to special. He knows he is far from Viktor’s level and yet he can’t wait to see him again.

Quietly, Yuuri turns to his right side and closes his eyes, even though he knows dreams won’t come to him for a long time, the loud throbbing of his heart is keeping him too distracted. Somehow, though, he likes to listen to its sound, for everything feels so unfamiliar to him. The feelings burning in chest, full of anxiety and anticipation, they surely have a real name, although Yuuri can’t come up with it right now. Still, he is sure he will find the right word eventually. Until then, he wants to spend time with the man who claimed to be the shadow from his dreams as much as possible.


	4. (More than) Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, something just came to my mind, thanks to the conversation we just had. Japanese is not my first language, so my observation might be wrong, but you really don’t sound like a commoner to me.”
> 
> Yuuri tilts his head confusedly. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand… What do you mean by that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I seriously thought I could never finish this chapter; if I had the power to decide, I would have updated weeks ago, but surprise, I had to face writer’s block once again. But at least this got finished, hooray! Thank you all for being so patient with me, I really appreciate it :’)
> 
> One could say this chapter works as an “interlude” of sorts: we slow things down a little and get Viktor and Yuuri spending some time with each other during the summer before jumping to November where shit just gets real (the curse still exists, you know, and a certain prince of Thailand hasn’t met his fiancé yet, either). So to put it simply, enjoy the fluff as long as it lasts! 
> 
> I hope I’ll be able to update soon, since I’m on a summer break now and really, really want to write chapter five as soon as possible! Now go on and enjoy reading!

The moment Yuuri opens his eyes the following morning, he feels something warm flutter in his chest. Usually the increasing heart rate serves as a warning sign of approaching danger, which in Yuuri’s case mostly happens to be something irrational. This time, however, he knows his heart isn’t getting all worked up about something his mind has made up just to make him worried. This time, it’s excited about meeting someone special.

If Yuuri were younger, he would probably have believed Viktor to be a product of his dreams, a pathetic attempt to fill his lonely life with some company. At this age, he knows he doesn’t have enough imagination to create a person as beautiful and intriguing as Viktor. Besides, his imaginary friend would never have placed any kisses on his hand and made him wonder whether he would receive another one the next time they had to part ways.

“Are you also excited to see him again, Vicchan?” Yuuri murmurs to his dog as he runs his fingers through her fur before getting out of bed. He knows the day will be hot without even looking out of the window, that’s how summers have always been here. And during hot weather, nothing works better than wearing a yukata. Humming, Yuuri changes into his brown yukata and ties the obi tightly around his waist, grinning in pleasure when he sees how thin it makes him look. Then, he glances at the fabric and sighs, his good mood lost in a few seconds.

For the first time in his life, Yuuri genuinely wishes he owned something better to wear, something more beautiful. He knows he shouldn’t be thinking of such things, he should be grateful for even having something to wear, especially clothes as decent and clean as these. Still, he hasn’t forgotten the golden embroideries in Viktor’s coat and the thick furry rim of his cloak; clothes like that could be worn by foreign kings that Yuuri has only seen in the pictures of his history books. And in the books, kings are always portrayed with their own kind. Only servants and peasants wear plain clothes like his own.

Suddenly the door of his room flies open, almost scaring Yuuri to death. Aunt Minako, her face as bright as the sun, has the bad habit of marching into his room without knocking. She is wearing a yukata similar to Yuuri’s own, yet she manages to carry it so gracefully she could be presented to the emperor himself. If only Yuuri had the same confidence.

“Good morn… oh, Yuuri, you’re already awake!” Aunt Minako says, not managing to conceal the surprise in her tone. “What are you spacing out there for, hurry up and come downstairs to have some breakfast!”

“Yes, Aunt Minako,” Yuuri says obediently and follows her to the stairs. Despite smiling, he doesn’t feel as excited about meeting Viktor as before.

 

 

***

Viktor would have been lying if he told someone he was ready an hour before his meeting with Yuuri – in fact he was ready two and a half hours before it. When getting ready for something special, it usually takes a lot of time for him to get dressed (Yuri still likes to remind him of the fact he changed his outfit thrice before crashing the prince’s celebration), but Viktor didn’t want to make Yuuri wait for him and thus finished everything ridiculously fast. It might have been better to procrastinate a little this time, though, since Viktor couldn’t get anything down during the wait. Everything from potion making to learning a new foreign language was judged uninteresting; his thoughts couldn’t concentrate on anything but the beautiful features of Yuuri’s face.

At some point Yuri got fed up with his restlessness and literally kicked him out of the house. At some other time such rough behaviour would have had some consequences, but this time Viktor didn’t want anything to ruin his mood. Instead, it feels it can only improve, at least his heart starts bounding more quickly when he spots Yuuri running towards him. Vicchan has spotted him too and reaches him before her master, begging for affection. Viktor lowers himself to his knees and lets the poodle climb into his lap, it’s been a while since he was able to pet dogs like this. After he lost Makkachin, Viktor decided never to get another dog, back then the thought of having a replacement felt sickening. However, back then he couldn’t imagine owning a dog with a pretty human boy could be a considerable option.

Yuuri stops before him, leaning against his knees like he had been running for a while. He is wearing a different yukata today, a brown one that matches his eyes. Viktor wonders whether it would be acceptable to greet him with a kiss and lets Vicchan return to her master’s side.

“Hi, have you been waiting for me for long?” Yuuri says, a little breathless. Viktor can’t help but admire the redness of his cheeks.

“Not for too long,” Viktor says with a soft smile. “You look stunning today, Yuuri.”

“Um, thank you. Y-you look nice too… but isn’t that cloak a bit too hot for this weather?

_Shit._

Nevertheless, Viktor manages to maintain his smile when he starts to take off his cloak, he should have remembered humans don’t possess any sort of magic that keeps their bodies cool during hot weather. “You’re absolutely right, how silly of me! Last night I dreamt of being in Siberia, so that must have stuck in my mind!”

“That’s so silly, how could you even…”

For some reason, Yuuri’s voice trails off, the rest of the sentence being replaced with a quiet gasp. Viktor turns his gaze confusedly at him, Yuuri is staring at him with an open mouth, cheeks glowing in crimson. Viktor glances quickly down and grins internally when he realizes what got Yuuri so quiet: he had left a couple of buttons open, letting his shirt reveal a nice glimpse of his chest. His seduction plan really is working.

“Is something wrong?” Viktor asks innocently and straightens his collar a little before lifting the cloak onto his arm. “You look a little hot.”

Viktor didn’t think it would be possible for Yuuri to blush any harder, but the boy manages to prove him otherwise. “N-no, everything is fine. What would you like to do today, Viktor?”

_Aside from kissing you so much you’d forget everything else in the world?_

At this point in their relationship, Viktor naturally pushes his real thoughts aside and smiles pleasantly at Yuuri. “I think we could just chat, you know, just to get to know each other better. And I could make a flower crown for you, something tells me you’d look very beautiful wearing one.”

“Alright, but then you have to teach me how to make one for you too,” Yuuri replies with a coy smile and sits on the grass, near the edge of the pond. “I think I talked way too much about myself yesterday, now I really want to hear more about you.”

Although Viktor would have wanted to hear more about Yuuri instead, he fulfils his request by telling him about his love for forests, his life in Russia (though censoring the parts about the fairy community and summarising the hundreds of years into one decade) and his travels in general. Yuuri listens to him carefully, so carefully he doesn’t even remember to scold Vicchan for trying to eat his sandals. His feet are drawing ripples on the surface of the water, while the half-done flower crown lies abandoned on his lap. Viktor almost wants to check what would be required to break his concentration, at least he has a few ideas that he would love to try out.

“…and then I brought Yura to Japan with me. Yura is a nickname of a sorts, his real name is actually Yuri too. But he is very different from you, a lot of shorter and way more hot-tempered.”

_And certainly not as beautiful…_

“So you live together with this Yuri,” Yuuri begins cautiously, eyebrows knitted like he was suddenly feeling worried about something, “this might be a bit rude to ask, but I didn’t quite get what kind of a relationship you two share. Is he, um, your lover?”

“What? No, never!” Viktor says in a high voice, even the thought of it makes him shiver with cold. “No, I could never think of Yura in that sense, he’s not my type at all and he is way too young for me. He is more like the little brother I never had.”

To his satisfaction, Yuuri relaxes visibly and fails at concealing a little smile that has occupied his lips.  “Ah, I see. I’m sorry for suggesting something like that and making you feel uncomfortable.”

”No, no, it’s alright,” Viktor replies with a grin and adds another flower to the crown, soon it’s ready for Yuuri to wear. “Oh, something just came to my mind, thanks to the conversation we just had. Japanese is not my first language, so my observation might be wrong, but you really don’t sound like a commoner to me.”

Yuuri tilts his head confusedly. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand… What do you mean by that?”

“People of different classes speak differently,” Viktor explains, “I’ve noticed it during my travels. For example, commoners tend to use more words that belong to a certain dialect, while people in high social classes try to stick to the standard language. You, however, are an exception to the rule. Your way of talking is very sophisticated, slightly controlled even. It’s quite fascinating.”

“That’s so weird, I never noticed.”

“Well, if you haven’t met that many people, it’s quite understandable. But you’ve had to learn that way of talking from somewhere. Don’t tell me your aunts are actually noblewomen living on exile?”

“No way, my life is far from such drama,” Yuuri snorts and shakes his head a little. “But now that I think about it, I’m sure one of my aunts told me her parents served a _daimyo_ and she grew up in his palace as well. She must have picked some patterns from them. At least she always tells me I should behave as if I was being introduced to a nobleman.”

“Well, I must say she has trained you well,” Viktor says and adds the finishing touches to the flower crown. He is quite pleased with the result, the way red and yellow flowers are intertwined. If only he was able to use a little bit of magic, he could have made the flowers shine as if they were made of gold. “Ta-dah, it’s ready! Will you try wearing it for me, Yuuri?”

“It’s so pretty, thank you,” Yuuri murmurs and leans carefully closer to the flower crown like he was afraid his touch might break it. “Now I feel so embarrassed that I never finished yours, I’m so sorry for spacing out like that…”

“No need to apologize, you can make me one some other time. At least you seem to know the technique by now,” Viktor says and strokes Yuuri’s dark locks a little before placing the flower crown on them. “Now, I’m sure I wouldn’t have to tell you this, but you look absolutely dreamy! But I still feel something is missing… oh, now I know!”

Viktor lifts his cloak from the grass to Yuuri’s sight and offers it to him. “Could you be so kind and try this on? I would like to see how it looks on you.”

For some reason, Yuuri looks slightly uncomfortable. “Thank you, but it’s your cloak, Viktor. I think it looks better on you than on me.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Viktor says. “Please, just try it on, for me. You can take it off right away if you don’t like it.”

If Viktor has mastered one non-magical thing, it’s definitely the skill of persuasion. One certain look combined with the sweetest of smiles usually guarantees him whatever his heart desires (at least when he is not facing Yuri, who seems to be immune to his influence). In this case, Yuuri is no different from others, with a little sigh he gives in and lets Viktor wrap the cloak around his shoulders. It was worth trying; despite looking embarrassed, Yuuri still manages to slay the look and make Viktor’s heart skip a beat. Beaming, he takes Yuuri’s hands in his own and pulls him to his feet.

”See for yourself, Yuuri, it suits you so well! You look like a prince!” Viktor says and gently pushes Yuuri a bit closer to the water so that he can take a look at himself. “It’s a bit big, obviously, but I could get you a cloak of your own if you want to!”

Viktor’s mind has already started planning designs for clothes he could make for Yuuri, but the pictures of beautiful fabrics disappear when he glances at the boy. For someone who is dressed up so prettily, he doesn’t seem that happy with his reflection. Still, he tries to force a smile on his face when he starts taking off the cloak.

“No need, I could never take it home without making my aunts suspicious,” Yuuri says and hands the cloak back to him. “Besides, clothes like yours would never suit someone like me.”

“Yuuri, are you alright?” Viktor asks when Yuuri turns away from him, arms wrapped around his own body. “Did I say something wrong?”

Yuuri looks almost scared when he turns back at him, shaking his head. “No, of course not, it’s not your fault… It’s just, well, do you think it’s… okay for us to spend time together, Viktor?”

Viktor frowns at the question, he really isn’t following that well at this point. “I don’t understand… of course it is, why would you even think otherwise?”

“I’m sorry, I just made you upset, didn’t I?” Yuuri murmurs, staring at his own feet. His body has started to tremble a bit as though he was ready to break into tears. “It seems I’m worse at interacting with others than I thought…”

“That’s not true, Yuuri,” Viktor assures him, true to his words. “And I’m not upset, just confused. Could you please explain why you feel that way, so I could understand you better?”

“I can see you’re a very privileged man, Viktor – I’m sorry, that didn’t come out very well, it’s not like I’m trying to blame you or anything. It’s just, you definitely belong to the upper class: you’re always so well-dressed and graceful, but the problem is that I’m not. I’m just a commoner, I have no wealth, nor social connections, nothing. Is it okay for people so different to interact with each other?”

Ah, that’s it, now he gets it, the curse of human societies, the way of dividing people into different castes based on their wealth and the status of their family. Viktor doesn’t understand it, at least not in this scale. Even though fairy communities have problems of their own, those of his kind don’t care whether a fairy is born of raindrops or ashes of a thunder-stuck tree. In that sense, they’re all equal.

Silently, Viktor pulls Yuuri tightly into his arms, earning a little yelp from him. Viktor can feel the boy’s heart beat rapidly against his chest, a sign of nervousness and fear. Soothingly, he runs his fingers through his soft hair.

“Yuuri, from where I come, people don’t really care about class. I want you to know I could never see you being inferior to me and even if you were a real prince, I wouldn’t treat you any differently. I want to spend time with you because you are you and as long as you remain yourself, I could never change my mind about it.”

Only then he realizes that Yuuri was holding his breath during his words, for he suddenly exhales, relaxing completely in his embrace. Viktor closes his eyes when he feels Yuuri lean against him and wrap his arms around him. He could stay like this forever.

“Thank you for saying that, Viktor.”

“Don’t thank me, sweetie. Thank you for being here with me.”

 

 

***

Although Yuuri always welcomes warmth after a cool winter, he usually starts longing for coldness at some point during summer, especially in July. After the rainy season ended (which didn’t even feel that rainy this year, thank you very much), humid air seized the area, leaving every living creature suffering and sweaty. No matter where he goes, the hellish heat doesn’t leave him alone: it gathers inside the house and makes Aunt Minako three times as snappy as usual, it attacks him the moment he steps outside. Yuuri sighs and turns to glance at the man lying on the grass next to him, Viktor doesn’t seem to be affected by the heat at all. His skin isn’t sweaty, nor does it glow in crimson. It’s just as beautiful as usually, full of shadows and tiny pools of light. Yuuri almost wants to lean closer and touch him just to make sure he is real.

Viktor opens his eyes on the next heartbeat, almost scaring the living daylights out of him. Yuuri turns his back quickly at him to hide the horror in his expression, but the movement was too fast to look natural. He lets out a high-pitched sound when he feels strong arms wrap around his torso. It’s like being captured by the shadow; Yuuri hasn’t seen it in his dreams ever since he met Viktor for the first time. Its place has been taken by a man with shining, silver hair who acts just like the shadow, tempting.

“Were you just spying on me?” Viktor whispers in his ear, his hot breath making Yuuri shiver. His mind is telling him to try squirming away from the touch, but somehow his body refuses to move even when Viktor moves his fingers slowly to the collar of his _jinbei_.

“N-no…”

“Then why did you turn away so quickly like you were guilty of something, darling?” Viktor continues and Yuuri flushes at his last word. Lately, Viktor has started calling him with some rather affectionate names, just like those Aunt Mila and Aunt Sara use of each other. It’s a bit weird, considering how their relationship differs from that of his aunts’, but Yuuri doesn’t mind, not at all. Names like this make something flutter in his stomach.

Yuuri clears his throat awkwardly, his thoughts have started to wander to a shady area he wants to keep a secret from Viktor. “Will you let me go, please? It’s so hot here…”

“Oh, I know exactly what helps with that…”

Before Yuuri gets to find out what Viktor had in mind, he realizes something horrible, something that pushes the warmth aside and replaces it with cold. “Where’s Vicchan?”

Yuuri bounces to his feet so quickly that he probably hit Viktor in the face with his elbow in the process, but right now he couldn’t care less. All that matters is Vicchan and her whereabouts, she was lying with them just a while ago, Yuuri is sure about it. The sharp stitches of anxiety start spreading all across his body as his gaze scans the environment again and again, all in vain. Breathing increasing, Yuuri winces when he feels something crush his heart in its freezing grip. He was so stupid, he should have looked after Vicchan better than this. If something happened to her, he wouldn’t know what to do…

Someone grips his shoulder and turns him around, it takes a while for Yuuri to register what he is pressed against. His breathing starts to slow down a little when Viktor’s calming scent surrounds him.

“Yuuri, it’s alright, don’t be afraid,” Viktor says soothingly. “We will find her, I promise.”

“But the forest is so big, she could be anywhere…”

“I’m sure she hasn’t got far,” Viktor says and takes a step away from him, letting his hands still stay on Yuuri’s shoulders. “Now, I’m not sure if you remember, but I happen to be very good with animals. If you could close your eyes and count slowly to twenty, I could figure out where she has gone to. Could you do that for me, my dear?”  

“O-okay,” Yuuri says confusedly. He has no idea why it’s so necessary for him to keep his eyes closed, but he obeys nevertheless; if it helps them to find Vicchan, he would be willing to do anything.

When Yuuri has reached seventeen, he feels Viktor’s soft hands on his cheeks. “You can open them now, I know where she is.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Viktor says with such confidence that even Yuuri’s anxiety can’t come up with an objection. Despite the heat, Yuuri doesn’t mind when Viktor takes his hand in his own. “Come, this way.”

They leave their resting spot and head west, towards the area Yuuri rarely visits. After a five-minute-walk or such, they arrive at another meadow, bigger than the one where they usually meet. This meadow is surrounded by tall trees, guarding a little lake in the middle. And on the shore of the lake stands Vicchan, so interested in the water plants that she doesn’t notice Yuuri before he has hurried to her and taken her into her arms.

“Don’t ever do that again, Vicchan, I was so worried about you!” Yuuri murmurs against her fur, failing at sounding angry as he tries to keep the tears from rolling to his cheeks. He is not sure whether the dog is able to understand him, but he forgives her the moment she licks her face as an apology.

“See, I told you we could find her,” Viktor says and sits down on the shore next to him. Yuuri wipes his eyes quickly before turning to face him.

“I don’t know how I could ever thank you enough, Viktor. Now I feel so stupid for panicking like that…”

Viktor shakes his head and leans a bit closer, apparently Yuuri didn’t manage to wipe away all his tears. “No need to feel that way, I know how important pets can be to their owners. If I were you, I would have reacted exactly the same way.”

For a moment, Yuuri is sure he can see a glimpse of sorrow in Viktor’s eyes, but it disappears so quickly that he doesn’t have the courage to ask about it. Vicchan, on the other hand, manages to steal his attention again. She’s squirming a little in his arms, probably due to the heat, and Yuuri loosens his grip a little so that she can get free. However, he didn’t anticipate what she was planning all this time: once free, she dashes into the lake and starts swimming in a circle.

“Vicchan, what did I just tell you?” Yuuri snaps at her, but Viktor just bursts into laughter next to him.

“Let her be, she seems to be enjoying herself anyway,” he says and rises to his feet. “Besides, I can see why she did that, the water is definitely refreshing. Want to join her?”

“I don’t have any other clothes with me,” Yuuri says warily, besides he has never swum in his entire life. The shore feels a much safer place to be, to be honest.

“It’s fine, you don’t need anything,” Viktor says mischievously and starts taking off his loose white shirt. “We can swim naked.”

Yuuri almost chokes on nothing. ”N-naked? No, no, no, that won’t do!”

“Now don’t be so bashful, Yuuri,” Viktor says and winks at him, nearly causing Yuuri a heart attack. “Besides, we’re both men, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s the problem…” Yuuri mutters to himself, hoping Viktor won’t catch his words. When Yuuri was younger, he used to bathe with his aunts, so nudity itself isn’t anything new to him. Catching a glimpse of Aunt Mila’s or Aunt Sara’s bare skin has no impact on him, it’s all normal in their household, even though Aunt Minako tries her best to maintain modesty. However, Yuuri feels it wouldn’t be the same if he happened to see Viktor naked. Just the image of his strong, lean body makes Yuuri’s face burn.

For a second, Yuuri is sure he saw a smug grin on Viktor’s face, but the next time he blinks, the expression has turned into something lightly excited.

“Alright, that might not have been a good idea, but I have a better one: let’s just leave our pants on. That way it will be easier to move in the water and since it’s so warm and sunny, I’m sure our clothes will dry quickly.”

Yuuri isn’t sure whether he had a counter argument ready in mind, but when facing Viktor’s puppy eyes, he can’t help but obey. Fingers shaking, he unties the strings that were keeping the top in place and lets the clothing drop to his feet. Coyly, he lifts his eyes back to Viktor, only to blush when meeting his intense gaze. He was right all along, Viktor’s body – or at least the top of it – is gorgeous.

“You look amazing, you know,” Viktor says breathlessly, his eyes glimmering like he was looking at something truly marvellous. Yuuri swallows the “so do you” and instead blurts out he doesn’t know how to swim.

Viktor blinks at his reaction, but the smile returns quickly to his face. “It’s alright, I can teach you.”

“Will you?” Yuuri asks worriedly. “I… I wouldn’t want to drown like my parents…”

“I won’t let you drown, I promise,” Viktor says calmly and takes his hands. “I’ll hold you like this all the time and I’m sure you’ll learn fast. Soon you’ll see how fun swimming can be.”

Yuuri follows Viktor to the water, sighing when he feels his skin cool down. He can understand why Vicchan was so eager to get into the lake, he can even feel his mind calm down a little when he feels the water’s sweet embrace around his waist. Viktor doesn’t take him any deeper, according to him it’s better to start close to the shore where his feet reach the bottom in case he starts having second thoughts. Yuuri grips his hands tighter when he lies onto the surface and starts kicking lightly. He must look stupid, but for once in his life he doesn’t care. He wants to learn this, not because he wants to impress Viktor but because he needs it. Yuuri doesn’t want to be afraid of water anymore, doesn’t want to be helpless if he ever went to the sea. His chances of seeing the world will definitely increase if he knows how to survive outside the borders of the forest.

“You’re doing great,” Viktor says, encouraging. “Do you want to try staying on the surface on your own?”

“Yes, but catch me if I start sinking to the bottom,” Yuuri says with a nervous laugh. Viktor nods and takes a step back, letting go of him. But luckily for him, Yuuri doesn’t sink, doesn’t get too heavy for the water to hold. He lets out a cry of success, he did it!

“Wonderful, that’s a big step!” Viktor says and helps him back to his feet. “Of course, you need to learn more than that if you ever went to swim in waters deeper than this, but luckily the summer is long and I have lots of time to teach you. Now, want to see what the world looks like underwater?”

“I think it’s a bit too early for me to learn how to dive, you know,” Yuuri says although he can’t quite conceal his curiosity. Viktor must have noticed it, too, since he lifts him in his arms like he didn’t weight anything. Yuuri feels his heart skip a bit when he is pressed against Viktor’s muscular chest.

“You’re right, it’s too early for you – at least by yourself,” Viktor says. “But you’d be fine like this and I really think you’d like how it looks below the surface. Do you trust me?”

Yuuri nods and wraps his arms around Viktor’s neck. “I trust you.”

“Then let’s go. Hold your breath for me, dear.”

Yuuri inhales sharply just before Viktor takes a leap forward and they sink under the surface. For a moment, he could have sworn he saw something light up at the same moment they dived, but Yuuri forgets it the moment he sees everything clearly around him. He always thought the world under the surface would be dark and scary, so cold his body would forget how to move, but once again the reality turned out to be completely different from his expectations. Yuuri can’t help but admire everything around him, the clearness of the water, the green plants that move slowly in the rhythm of the water, the multicoloured fish that swim past them. If he knew the world underwater would look this amazing, he would have learnt to swim much earlier.

His lungs remind him of the fact he was born on land and he pats Viktor softly on the shoulder to gain his attention. Viktor nods and kicks the bottom of the lake for speed, and before Yuuri can register it, they are on the surface again, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Viktor swims closer to the shore slowly, closer to the spot where Yuuri’s feet reach the bottom without any problem. He is still holding him, even though it isn’t necessary anymore. Still, Yuuri doesn’t want him to let go just yet.

“So, how was it?” Viktor says, rising to his feet. Yuuri smiles at him in return.

“You don’t even need to ask that. You were right, it was wonderful.”

“Good. There’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing you enjoy yourself just like that.”

Yuuri feels crimson take over his cheeks, he doesn’t know how he should react to such a comment: thank him, say he wants to see Viktor happy just as much? Instead, Yuuri reaches for him, brushing Viktor’s wet bangs away from his forehead. He looks ridiculously good even with his wet hair brushed backwards from his face.

“I just noticed something…” Yuuri begins quietly, more to himself than to Viktor. The man hears his musings anyway.

“Oh, what did you notice, Yuuri?” he asks, almost purring.

“That you have a rather big forehead.”

Yuuri lets out a yelp when the safety of Viktor’s hands suddenly disappears around his body and he falls in the water with a loud splash. At some other time he might have been a little startled because of the unforeseen action, but this time he simply stares at Viktor in disbelief, waiting for an explanation. For some reason, he looks rather distressed because of his words.

“I thought you would be the last person on earth to point it out, but it seems I was wrong,” Viktor says dramatically, overly-dramatically, if you ask Yuuri. “It really is thinning, my hairline! Do I already look like an old man to you, Yuuri?”

“You have a forehead complex?” Yuuri says, desperately trying to stop himself from bursting into laughter. “You, of all people?”

Against his expectations, Viktor pouts at him. “Well, everyone has something they dislike about their looks. And for me, that happens to be my forehead. Ah, I knew it, Yura was right all along! I really won’t remain young and pretty for my entire life…”

At this point, Yuuri can’t prevent himself anymore. Holding his stomach, he falls to his knees and lets laughter take control of his body, indifferent towards Viktor’s whiny complaints.

“You’re so silly, Viktor, no one should feel ashamed of having such a beautiful forehead…”

_…and kissable_ , he wants to add, but he locks his lips before the words can flee to freedom. Things like that aren’t supposed to be uttered freely, for so many things could go wrong if someone managed to find out his hidden desires. Things might get awkward between him and Viktor and the last thing Yuuri wants is to ruin their friendship. But if… if the gods gave him their blessing and made Viktor his lover, Yuuri would promise to leave so many kisses on his forehead that he would stop hating it.

 

 

***

_For years, night has been the time of day Viktor hates the most. Although he loves the peace and the darkness of the sky above him, he hasn’t been able to enjoy those features for ages. For he knows he has to submit to dreams at some point, to his most vulnerable state where pain can find its way back to him, both mentally and physically._

_But lately, he hasn’t had that many dreams filled with flames. Lately his dreams have been occupied by images of a brown-eyed angel whose sweet hands keep the pain away, whose sweet words make Viktor forget those toxic ones his former friends hissed in his ear when ripping his wings off. If he is lucky enough, the dreams last long enough for him to capture the angel in his arms and pull him into a kiss whose flavour is yet unknown to him. At moments like those, Viktor almost forgets how much he used to hate the idea of going to sleep._

_However, good things never last long with him. Recently, Yuuri has started to leave his side before Viktor has even got to stroke his soft hair, disappearing somewhere into the shadows. No matter how desperately Viktor tries to call him, Yuuri never returns once he has been devoured by darkness. Instead, the shadows reveal another figure, a faceless person dressed in a layered kimono whose colour is like that of the deepest of waters. His hair is dark too, bangs brushed away from his forehead. Even though his features remain vague, Viktor doesn’t fail at recognizing him. When he cursed the prince twenty years ago, he never thought his soul would return to bother him in his dreams._

_“Go away,” Viktor hisses at the prince when he has once again arrived to disturb his moment with Yuuri. “What do you even want from me?”_

_The prince turns his head to him before replying, his voice has a weird, unnatural echo like he was speaking from underwater. “I wanted to see the person who cast the curse on me.”_

_“Well, you’ve seen me now,” Viktor replies with a wry smile. “If I were you, I’d spend my last months doing something else than visiting the dreams of others.”_

_The prince doesn’t move an inch, much to Viktor’s chagrin. Instead, he tilts his head a little and hums quietly. If his facial features were visible to Viktor’s eyes, the prince would definitely be smiling at him. The genuineness of the smile might be another story._

_“I see you found someone,” the prince continues just before Viktor is about start threatening him again. “I never thought a man who hated the world so much could be able to live and love like you do. It’s almost like a miracle.”_

_Viktor ignores him. “Where is Yuuri? Where have you taken him?”_

_The prince turns away from him and wraps his arms around his own body like he was trying to protect himself from freezing winds. This time, his voice sounds so small that Viktor can feel his chest ache a bit._

_”I could have had it too. Happiness, love… My life could have been filled with joy and I could have done my everything to make this country a better place. But none of that will ever happen. You stole my future, Viktor.”_

_Somehow, hearing his name from the mouth of the cursed prince makes Viktor feel even worse. Aside from Yuuri and Yuri, no one has called him by that name for the last twenty years. After receiving his not so flattering nickname, being simply called ‘Viktor’ has almost felt like a reward – a way of knowing he is accepted by the people who use that name. But this time, someone has called his name in such a broken tone that Viktor doesn’t know how to react. A tone like that makes him feel like a monster._

_Viktor swallows and takes a step closer to the prince. “I… I don’t know what to say.”_

_Still, he tries to reach for him._

_The prince turns to face him and slaps his hand away. Despite being taller than the prince, Viktor feels like shrinking before him. His face is starting to gain some features now, but it’s still too blurry for Viktor to make anything of it. Something about him feels awfully familiar, though._

_“I hope he realizes what kind of a monster you are,” the prince hisses through his teeth. “People like you don’t deserve a happy ending.”_

“You’re awfully quiet today.”

The darkness fades, and Viktor is greeted by a sight of concerned eyes, Yuuri looks so pretty even when observed from upside down. The only problem is Viktor has no idea how long he has been spacing out but judging from Yuuri’s expression it might have been a while. Forcing a reassuring smile on his face, he adjusts himself so that Yuuri’s lap won’t get too tired from the weight of his head.

“Am I? I’m so sorry, my sweet, I got lost in thought while thinking about you,” Viktor says smoothly, at least in his opinion. Yuuri, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be pleased with his response. His brows are knitted in worry and he has stopped playing with Viktor’s hair.

“Viktor, I’m not stupid. I can see something is bothering you, you can talk to me about it if you want to. I… I may not be the best person to give you advice, but at least I can listen.”

Viktor swallows, he wants to share his feelings with Yuuri, but if he reveals everything, he might not see him ever again. Still, he can’t pretend he was being quiet for nothing, Yuuri is smart enough to notice the changes in his mood and it would be disrespectful towards him to keep lying. Sighing, Viktor lets out the first sentences that required a while to mould into an acceptable shape.

“It’s just… Lately, some things from the past have returned to haunt me…”

“What happened back then?”

Yuuri’s question is supportive but not demanding, Viktor knows he would let him stay quiet if he just said he couldn’t talk about it. That’s one of the best things about Yuuri, he doesn’t demand people to act against their will. Still, he deserves to know.

“Years ago, I owned a dog that was just like Vicchan, only a lot bigger. His name was Makkachin and I adored him more than anyone, he was always there by my side and never turned me down. You must know what it’s like, since you have a dog too, right? Anyway, I had already settled down in Japan but left for a little trip to Russia to take care of some business there, during that time I also met Yura and brought him here with me. Makkachin stayed behind, he was already a bit too old to travel, but I thought he would be okay while I was gone. But when we got back, we found out someone had set the woods where I lived on fire and Makkachin… well, he didn’t survive…”

“I’m so sorry,” Yuuri whispers softly, “that’s so horrible! Why would anyone do such a thing?” 

“Ever heard of slash-and-burn agriculture?” Viktor asks and Yuuri nods in response. “Well, I later learnt the people in the area wanted to create new fields in the forest and well, since it was quite hard to spot my house, they thought no one lived there and believed it was alright to burn it all down. But back then, I couldn’t care less what they had thought – actually, it wasn’t even them I blamed the most. Some years before that happened, I met a person who possessed a lot of wealth and influence in this country and we talked a lot about nature and the environment. For me, those things matter so much I can’t even describe it. When I moved to Japan, the first thing I fell in love with this country was its environment, so beautiful and wild. So I asked that person to protect it so that this country would remain beautiful in the future as well. They promised they would do that… and then they betrayed me and destroyed my woods, my home.”

“What happened then?”

“I decided to take revenge on them. That’s… that’s the reason I’m not in touch with that many people anymore. I burned homes of others in return, made them fear for their lives; I did a lot of bad things… even to people who didn’t deserve it.”

“Did you kill anyone?”

Viktor thinks of the prince whom he cursed to death. Even though he is far away from the dream world, he can still feel his burning gaze on his nape.

“No.”

Yuuri huffs quietly and strokes his hair. “Then it’s alright.”

”Alright?” Viktor repeats in a high voice and rises to his knees, staring at Yuuri in disbelief. “I don’t understand, how can you say it’s alright? I just told you I did many bad things in my past, you should hate me now, Yuuri.”

Before Viktor can say another word, he feels his body being pressed against something soft, something warm. It takes a while for him to realize Yuuri has wrapped his arms around his neck, holding him strongly in a comforting embrace.

“Yes, you did many bad things,” Yuuri repeats quietly, “but to me it sounds like you regret your actions. And that just proves you’re a good person despite what you did. You see, I don’t think anyone is fully good or evil, but there’s one thing that separates them from each other: bad people don’t regret their actions or try to change for the better. Therefore you could never be a bad person and I could never hate you, Viktor.”

Viktor feels something burn in his eyes, something wet that starts to spread on his face when he accidentally blinks. Despite not being asleep, he can see the figure of the prince before his eyes, standing a few feet behind Yuuri. His face is just as blurry as ever, but Viktor is still able to recognize an expression: disappointment. When he blinks again, the prince has disappeared.

Sighing in relief, Viktor presses his face against Yuuri’s shoulder and clings to him like his whole life depended on it.

“Thank you, my Yuuri. I will get through anything as long as you don’t hate me.”

 

 

***

”He loves me… he loves me not… He loves me… he loves me not… He loves… Oh, look Yura, he really loves me! I knew it!”

Yuri glances at the pile of fallen petals that lie before the wooden steps of the terrace and rolls his eyes. His stupid master has been playing this game for a while now, muttering the ridiculous phrases over and over again and ignoring the unsatisfying results. When Yuri had started living with the man who was claimed to be the greatest sorcerer of the era, it had felt logical to assume he might learn a trick or two from him. Back then, Yuri would never have guessed he would be forced to watch him be so smitten with somebody that he would stop caring about things that were actually important.

“That game is rubbish and you know it,” Yuri says in annoyance and tries to return to his spell book, it might have been a bit easier if the writing wasn’t three hundred years old. It takes a while to figure out what some letters even stand for; whoever wrote the book didn’t have the best penmanship. It doesn’t help that some of the letters have started to fade, either. “The flower has nothing to do with his feelings.”

“Now don’t be a bore,” Viktor replies calmly and picks another flower from the corner of the steps. “I’m sure you’ll also play this game when you’re old enough to fall in love.”

“I _am_ old enough for it, I’m just not interested in that stupid shit!” Yuri shouts and tosses his book aside. “Besides, have you even thought about what he is going to say when he finds out you happened to cast a tiny deadly curse on the entire royal family?”

“There’s no need to worry about that. I already told Yuuri I had done some bad things in the past and he accepted me nevertheless.”

Yuri blinks at the response, definitely not what he expected to hear. “What the hell, are you trying to seduce an actual saint or something?”

“Well, I might have left out the part about the curse,” Viktor says lightly and smiles tenderly at the flower that has just lost its final petal before dropping it on the ground. “But I’m sure Yuuri wouldn’t mind living in a country without evil monarchs who burn down beautiful forests and the creatures who live there.”

“Oh, so you actually do _care_ about killing them. I had started to believe you’re only interested in getting into your crush’s pants,” Yuri says loudly, partly to sound sarcastic and partly to show his irritation with Viktor. The man simply laughs at his comment.

“I told you I can be interested in multiple things at the same time, remember?” he says, but the tone implies there is more to come. “Besides, there hasn’t been much progress from your side, which is why I haven’t been able to get that interested in the prince. So I suggest you hurry a little and find him soon because November is getting closer every day.”

Yuri slams the wooden floor with his hand before bouncing to his feet and marching into the woods, never glancing back. He can feel anger boil hard in his body, working as a fuel to make his movements louder, reckless. Having gotten far enough from home, he stops walking and releases the scream that has waited far too long in his throat. Yuri hates him, his stupid master, that vain dramatic fairy who will definitely become bald in the next one hundred years. He hates how ungrateful he is, how easily he tosses people aside when finding someone more interesting.

Yuri has always been the number two in his life; when Makkachin lived with them, he was perfectly fine with it as Viktor still took care of him, taught him new spells and entertained him with stories about Russia that made him dream about returning to the country one day. But when Makkachin was gone, the stories ceased, their warmth fading away. And so did Viktor, in a way. While the idea of killing the prince gave him pleasure and while he still counselled Yuri with everything he asked, he was never there. He tried, Yuri could tell, tried to keep his presence and act like everything was fine, but soon he stopped sharing his feelings with him, became like a shadow. And no matter how hard Yuri tried to cheer him up, nothing ever worked. Nothing he did ever worked.

Then came the boy who shared his name, the better Yuri, at least it feels that way. The Yuri who is _oh-so-sweet-and-understanding_ , the Yuri who succeeded in bringing colours back to Viktor’s life in a few months, while he never could do the same in twenty fucking years. Out of those two, it’s the new Yuri he hates the most. If he wasn’t there, Yuri wouldn’t have to fear the only person he can call his family might suddenly leave him behind.

After a few cycles of inhales and exhales, Yuri can finally feel his body cool down. The anger has left something useful behind, though: determination. If he finds the cursed prince, Viktor will definitely start caring a bit more about him again. Killing the brat was a plan they made together, and Yuri is not going to let anything spoil it. It’s one of the rare things that still connects them, after all. With a smile, he lets his wings free and becomes one with the night.

The weather is perfect for the flight, the sky clear and the air cool under his feathers. Yuri lets his gaze wander on the tall trees underneath him, so far he has visited the northernmost island of the country and met the eager fishermen in the south, but no prince has been seen anywhere on his route. There are still a couple of places he hasn’t checked, the area close to their home. Hiding the prince under their noses would be risqué, but on the other hand it would be pretty wise since Yuri hasn’t considered the possibility. Not before spotting a small cabin from the sky, that is.

It’s easy to miss it, the house blending in with the shadows of the tall trees that surround it like guardians of a palace, but now that Yuri has found it, he can’t pass it anymore. He would check the place out anyway – unlike Viktor, he does his job well – but there is still something about the cabin that makes his skin tingle. Having travelled all across the country, it would be ironic to find out the prince was hiding practically on the other side of the forest all along.

Heart beating with excitement, Yuri dives down towards the cabin and lands silently on the windowsill of the second floor. The shutters are closed, but when Yuri closes his eyes and channels a bit of magic to his eyelids, he can see the room behind the window clearly in front of him. Someone is lying in a bed, a young man apparently, his body moving peacefully in the rhythm of his sleep. He is not alone, though: a small brown dog has curled up at the food of the bed. Yuri hisses at the sight, the presence of the animal makes his visit a lot harder. He has to be quick and careful, still precise in his movements if he wants everything to work his way. However, he would never say no to a little challenge.

Quick like the wind, Yuri yanks the window open and turns back to his human form before he even lands on the floor, dropping a few black feathers on the wooden planks. The dog raises her head, but before the animal can make a sound, Yuri knocks her out with a dream spell that should keep her occupied until the sunrise. The man in the bed, on the other hand, wasn’t affected by the sounds: his sleep is just as peaceful as ever. Yuri rolls his eyes, what a pig.

He tiptoes to the other side of the bed and lowers to his knees to observe the face of the sleeping man. Whether he is a prince or not, he looks pretty average to him: messy dark hair and light skin, nothing special. With so little light around, it’s difficult to judge whether he shares any features with the Emperor and the Empress, but luckily, he knows an easier way to find it out. Placing his right hand on his shoulder, Yuri lets magic connect him with the man for a moment.

They’re grey, the memories of this man, some of them unknown to even himself. Yuri observes the flashing pictures silently, he was brought to this this house as a little child, arrived with three women whom he remembers seeing in the palace almost twenty-one years ago. And then he is there again, in the throne room, watching as the Empress lowers the baby into his cradle, watching the fairies bless him and Viktor curse him. He doesn’t need any more evidence: he has finally found the prince.

Yuri needs to cover his mouth with his hand to not burst into laughter, it was so easy in the end, they had hidden the cursed brat practically in their neighbourhood. He had faced the freezing winds of the north and scorching heat of the southern isles for nothing; if only he had started his search from near… However, none of that matters anymore.

“ _You shall indeed become beautiful and graceful_ ,” Yuri mutters, repeating the first words of Viktor’s curse, ending them with a snort, “that old man really was just saying whatever came to his mouth. Sleep peacefully while you can, you pig. The next time we meet, I’m going to watch you die.”


	5. Visions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri snaps out of his thoughts at the sound of Vicchan’s bark, his dog has noticed someone’s presence in the woods. Yuuri feels his pulse quicken and covers his mouth in embarrassment, if his wish really reached Viktor and brought him to his side, he will most likely die. Taking a deep breath, Yuuri brushes his hair quickly with his fingers before following after Vicchan. The expecting smile dies from his lips when his eyes find a stranger instead of Viktor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, I told you I would update sooner this time; bet you didn’t think it would happen this quickly! :D (I shouldn’t say things like this because I’m darn sure I’ll never be able to update quickly like this again…) Anyway, you have no idea how good this feels, I’ve waited so long to get to this chapter!
> 
> As I mentioned in the notes of the previous chapter, we have now jumped to November, the month of doom and heartbreak. While waiting for that to happen, please enjoy the first appearance of a 21-year-old Phichit and his first meeting with Yuuri (and there will be some other things as well, but I’ll keep my mouth shut about them and force you to read forward to find out!). So please, dig in!
> 
> As always, thank you for your support! Kudos and comments are appreciated :>

_Trapped._

_That word comes to Viktor’s mind first when he observes Yuuri’s expression, nervous like that of a prey waiting for the final blow. His lips are slightly parted, gaze wandering nervously on his surroundings, trying to find a way to get out of the situation. His back must be hurting, being pressed against the rough trunk of a leafless tree, but Viktor won’t let him go, not just yet. He needs to get the answer to his question to calm his restless heart._

_Yuuri grabs Viktor quickly from the shoulder when he tries to lean a bit closer to him, keeping the distance. He is shivering a little, Viktor isn’t sure whether it’s because of the cool air or because he is practically sitting between his legs._

_”Viktor… I don’t think we should.”_

_“Why do you think so, Yuuri?” Viktor asks softly, ignoring the anxious beating of his pulse. “Please, tell me.”_

_“What… what if my aunts find out about this?”_

_“They won’t find out about this, no one will. This will be our secret, ours only,” Viktor tries to assure him, but the boy still looks a little doubtful. Gently, he grips his chin, tilting his head a little so that their eyes meet. “Yuuri, I don’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. But please, tell me: are you holding back because of your aunts or because you feel uncomfortable with me?”_

_The question seems to be the thing that was needed to bring Yuuri back to the present. His eyes widen a little and he swallows, never breaking eye contact. “That’s not… I… I could never feel uncomfortable with you, Viktor.”_

_“May I kiss you then?”_

_”Yes...”_

_Encouraged by the permission, Viktor closes the distance between them, pressing his lips to Yuuri’s own. Despite the desire blooming inside his body, he kisses him softly, lightly, to see how the boy will react to the act. Viktor can feel Yuuri’s nervousness against his lips, but the anxiousness disappears when he responds to the kiss. His hands move to Viktor’s neck from his shoulders, letting Viktor to press their bodies together. He can feel Yuuri’s warmth radiate to his skin even through the thick fabric of his winter kimono._

_Never in his life has he seen Yuuri’s face glow like that, his face full of emotions that seem to be new even to himself. His grip is still tight around Viktor’s neck, so he doesn’t try to retreat from him. He can see Yuuri has something to say, he just needs to take a while to utter the words with those swollen lips._

_“C-can we do that again?”_

_“Oh, my darling. I thought you would never ask.”_

_Yuuri pulls him into another kiss before Viktor can even think of a proper way to charm him, responding hungrily to the movements of Viktor’s tongue. Viktor feels like drowning to lust, he has fantasized about this for months, but never in his dreams did Yuuri taste so sweet. He wants to monopolize him, mark him as his own so that no other man will be able to hear those soft gasps that manage to escape from his mouth every now and then. He is sure Yuuri wants that too, to belong to nobody else and have the only right to Viktor’s heart in return._

_Viktor moves down to Yuuri’s neck, much to his disappointment, or so it seems at first. But when he leaves the first breathy kiss to his skin, Yuuri is moaning again, satisfied. Viktor wants to try doing all sorts of things to him now, to see if he could always gain such a response._

_“Vi– Viktor…” Yuuri pants, voice all hoarse. The sentence is cut when Viktor starts to suck his skin, low enough so that the possible kiss mark can be covered with the collar of the kimono and to keep the affair secret from Yuuri’s aunts._

_“What is it, my sweet? Tell me what I can do to make you feel good?”_

_”It’s not… that…” Yuuri manages. “It’s just… I want you to know that I… I love you.”_

_Viktor stops completely, almost forgets what he was doing just a few heartbeats before. The words make him tremble uncontrollably, during the hundreds of years he has dwelled on earth he has never heard those words. He has had lovers before, sure, but no one has told him they love him, not a single person. Not before Yuuri, that is. Viktor feels something burn in his eyes._

_“Viktor? Are you alright?”_

_Pulling Yuuri into a hug, Viktor lets the first tears fall to his cheeks. “Better than ever. I love you too, moyo solnyshko. ‘Till my last breath.”_

”I’m going to barf.”

The reflection disappears as quickly as it appeared, Viktor turns his gaze away from the surface of the pond in an irritated manner – he was just getting to the good part. With a quick swing of his hand, the water in the pond turns into ice.

Yuri raises his eyebrow like he was planning to give him a very judging speech. “I understand you are a little obsessed with that human but to go that far and make magical porn about him…”

“That’s not any sort of porn,” Viktor explains calmly and turns his gaze to the green glass bottle that is lying against the stone edge of the pond, next to his feet. “See that bottle? It contains a very powerful potion that one can use to predict their future. When you add a drop of it to any liquid, you can see possible outcomes of the future. You know how uncertain it is, right?”

”Right… and what are the other possibilities in your case then?”

“To sum it up, Yuuri and I won’t become lovers. But that’s most unlikely,” Viktor says with a smug grin. Judging the nature of his relationship with Yuuri, there is absolutely nothing that could go wrong. Right now they are in a situation that Viktor would call “two inches from being lovers”. Even though no kisses have been exchanged in reality, their embraces have gotten longer and more caressing, what really is missing is just the mutual agreement of a relationship, but Viktor is planning to bring it up very soon. In that sense, the future of him making out with Yuuri in the forest is the most likely to happen. Of course, the potion showed him some rather depressive outcomes as well: in one of them Yuuri died in his arms. But Viktor knows such a future is hardly possible and decided not to give much thought to it. What matters is making his favourite vision a reality. 

“You might be right, but have you forgotten that teeny-tiny thing that might be the last obstacle to your relationship?” Yuri asks, his tone annoyed like he was having the conversation with a five-year-old child. “You’re a fairy, he’s a goddamn human. His lifespan is minimal compared to yours; he will grow old and die before you even realize it. Do you think you can deal with all of that?”

“Of course not, Yuuri’s death would break my heart,” Viktor says truthfully. “Luckily, I know a way to deal with that issue. I’m planning to give up my magic, along with my immortality.”

“Is that even possible?”

“It is. Long time ago when I still lived in Russia and had no issues with my community, I knew a man named Yakov, a fairy like me. He happened to fall in love with a mortal woman, Lilia, and wanted to give up his powers to be with her, using a certain ancient spell. The spell is something one cannot cast on themselves, plus it happens to be so difficult that it can lead to one’s death if done wrong. All the other fairies thought him to be mad and to be honest, back then I didn’t understand why anyone would want to grow old and lose their beauty, but I still promised to help. And we made it, he became a human and I inherited his magical abilities. Both he and Lilia died a long time before you were even born, but apparently they shared a good life together. And believe me, after living for hundreds of years, I’m starting to understand why he did it. Immortality is not as fun as it sounds: it’s tiring, suffocating and at some point it starts to feel like you have been trapped into a never-ending game. If I only had a limited amount of years left, I would definitely appreciate my life a little more.”

Yuri stares at him quietly, his gaze telling Viktor more than the teen would ever dare to utter. Even though Yuri always tries to act like a tough guy, Viktor knows how sensitive he can actually be.

“I see, you really have thought about it,” he says quietly. “And have you already thought who would be good enough to cast that spell on you?”

“Naturally. I was thinking about asking you.”

Yuri blinks like he hadn’t even considered the possibility. “Me? You would really let me do it? I could accidentally kill you, you know.”

“You wouldn’t,” Viktor says with a smile. “I have trained you well.”

“I think you meant ‘Yura, you have done your mostly independent training well’, thank you very much,” Yuri corrects him, his face a bit brighter now. “So if I do it, do I also get all of your magic?”

“Yes, every bit of it.”

“Holy shit, count me in then! After you retire, I’m going to become the greatest magic-user the world has ever seen!” Yuri declares with such a child-like determination that Viktor can’t do anything but snort at his reaction; it seems he worried about how his apprentice would react to his request for nothing. “Still, I wouldn’t be so reckless if I were you; what if your human boyfriend gets tired of you at some point? It would be a real waste if he dumbed you after you had given up your powers. So why don’t you just put a spell on him and make him fall in love with you? You could do it, you know.”

“Yes, but that wouldn’t be right,” Viktor says, sighing dreamily as his thoughts wander to Yuuri’s soft face. “I want Yuuri to fall for me for who I am, without any tricks.”

Yuri groans loudly like he just swallowed a piece of his least favourite dish. “You’re fucking weird. You act disgustingly lovey-dovey with your naïve dreams and yet you’re able to curse new-born babies to death. I don’t get you.”

“You will understand when you fall in love with someone, Yurochka.”

“I’d rather not,” Yuri mutters and rolls his eyes. “But I know what I’d like more. How is my potion coming along?”

“We can go check it out, it was a bit quicker to make than I thought, so it might actually be ready,” Viktor says and rises to his feet from the edge of the pond, leading the way back to the house. The garden has got awfully quiet now that winter is approaching, the air is cool and grey, leaving the ground naked with its kiss. Glancing quickly at a bird cherry he brought from Russia, Viktor blows some air towards it. He feels extremely pleased with himself when he sees the magic crystalize to the bare branches of the tree, he really should spend more time decorating the garden during winter. To be polite, Viktor asks Yuri for some inspiration but decides to drop the idea when the teen wants him to make a life-size sculpture of a Siberian tiger.

The air is naturally warmer inside the house, mostly because of Yuri, but sometimes Viktor also likes to escape the coldness and spend his days in their drawing room, reading a book by the fire. Yuri sighs contently when they arrive in the kitchen, the room is probably the warmest in the house at the moment, mainly because of the cauldron that has been boiling for the last couple of days, placed upon a blue flame that Viktor enchanted to burn without a rest. He leans across the cauldron and observes the surface of the purple liquid, finger pressed against his lips.

“Well?” Yuuri asks impatiently. “Is it ready?”

Viktor turns to him and nods. “Yes. It is ready.”

Yuri lets out a cry of victory and dashes to get a goblet from the wooden shelf full of different dishes. Viktor hums contently and stirs the liquid, he is happy he has finally found the way to break Yuri’s curse. During the summer and autumn, Viktor spent his evenings studying the curse and going through possible cures for it. Eventually he came across a recipe of a potion that should make Yuri age normally again, but unfortunate for Viktor, brewing it would take a while and demand almost his constant presence. That’s why Viktor also had to leave Yuuri by himself for a while; he estimated it would take a week to finish the potion, which, in theory, didn’t sound that bad. However, his past self had been completely wrong. The last six days without Yuuri were terrible, spent in a colourless mist where words such as life and love felt like a distant dream. But all of that would end today now that the potion was finally finished and soon he would have Yuuri back in his arms, warmth and colour slowly returning to his world.

“I can’t promise it won’t taste bad, but I know you’re a brave boy, Yura,” Viktor says and fills the goblet with the liquid. “Remember to drink everything in it, otherwise it won’t work.”

“Yes, mother,” Yuri says mockingly and swallows the liquid in one gulp, the show-off he is. The tough act doesn’t last long, though, as Yuri’s face turns green and he slaps his hand against his mouth to prevent himself from vomiting. But slowly, he begins to grow. A couple of inches to his height, a bit of maturity to his face. Luckily for Viktor, his apprentice is still shorter than him so he can still pat his head whenever he feels like it. Too bad Yuuri isn’t here with him, he would like to compare them to see which Yuri is taller now.

“It seems it worked, you look like an 18- or 19-year-old to me now,” Viktor says and hands Yuri a mirror so that he can see for himself. “From now on, you should age normally for your kind. If, for some reason, that doesn’t happen, I can always brew you more of this potion and see if there’s something else I can do.”

“Works for me,” Yuri says and smirks at his reflection, “darn, I really look older! I guess you didn’t fail me in the end, oh the mighty Dark Fairy.”

“Did you really have second thoughts, I promised I would take care of your curse and I have never failed at breaking them,” Viktor huffs. “Right, now I’m sure you don’t have any other urgent requests, so I can finally go meet Yuuri again…”

“Not so fast!” Yuri says before Viktor can sneak out of the room. “Have you forgotten? The prince’s birthday is in eight days! Shouldn’t we finally make a plan for killing him?”

“Why do we even need to plan anything?” Viktor groans. “You remember what I said back then: even if we just stayed at home, the prince will die nevertheless, in one way or another.”

Yuri grips him angrily from the collar, ruining Viktor’s second attempt at leaving. “Yes, but that won’t do! Even if you have lost your interest in him, I haven’t; I still want to see him die! You owe me that, it was our plan after all! You didn’t even care when I finally found him, so I think you fucking should at least look him in the eye before he kicks the bucket!”

Viktor sighs and forces himself free from Yuri’s grip. “Alright then, if that’s so important to you. How about this: on the night before his birthday, you sneak into the place where he is hiding and make him drink a drop of the potion that makes him obey anything we say to him? Then before his guardian fairies wake up, we command him to walk here, close the protection shield and watch him slowly kill himself.”

“Yes, that will do, thank you!” Yuri yells and marches past him to the hallway, muttering something about Viktor becoming too soft. Viktor decides to ignore his anger, he has other things to concentrate on, all of them related to his darling Yuuri whom he might be able to meet a day before the promised date. He wants to do something special to celebrate, maybe he could make a gift for the man of his life, something simple and small of course, so that Yuuri is able to hide it from his aunts’ eyes. A ring is the first thing that comes to Viktor’s mind, but he decides – rather unwillingly – to abandon the idea. It might be a bit too forward at this point, to gift Yuuri a symbol of commitment when they haven’t even shared a kiss or talked about the sweet theme of love, but that doesn’t mean Viktor couldn’t make another piece of jewellery for him. Glancing outside, his eyes find the tree with the frozen ornaments, the perfect source of inspiration. Slowly, Viktor starts to twist the air in his fingers, giving it the wanted shape and cooling it down.

He beams at the result, he can’t wait to see Yuuri wear it around his slender neck. He only hopes Yuuri will then realize how much he adores him.

 

***

The needle pierces the soft fabric easily, Minako is glad she has learnt to sew so well during the years of pretence, it would have been embarrassing if she had let the prince of Japan walk in rags. She finishes the seam with a proud smile, now no one would guess Yuuri had such a huge hole in the leg of his hakama. Of course, soon he will be wearing a lot more beautiful and expensive clothes but fixing them felt like an obligation. No mother – real or substitute – would want their child to feel cold during the darkest months of the year.

Her ears register a quiet slam from the hallway and Minako turns her gaze instinctively towards the sound. Yuuri probably kicked the floor by accident when getting his shoes on, it doesn’t help that Vicchan is circling him impatiently, telling him to hurry. Despite the autumn being cooler than usually, Yuuri has spent a lot of time outside, much more than before. For Vicchan, it’s only a good thing since the dog loves to move around, but Minako can’t help feeling worried every time Yuuri heads into the woods. She has started seeing the nightmares again, all of them ending with the Dark Fairy devouring him and ripping his heart in pieces.

Yuuri wraps the shawl around his shoulders and turns to face them. ”I’m going now. See you soon!”

”Have a nice time, Yurochka. Don’t catch a cold!” Mila and Sara cry simultaneously. Minako is unable to say anything and simply sends him off with a forced smile.

The door closes with a clank, leaving a heavy atmosphere behind. After a minute of silence, Minako finally opens her mouth.

”He’s gone… Okay, gather around, we’re going to have the meeting now.”

Mila and Sara join her at the table, taking off their bright masks in the process. Despite trying their best to not let it show to Yuuri, they all have got more stressed and anxious now that the cursed day is drawing closer every day. There are only eight more nights left until his twenty-first birthday, the day when his life is supposed to end.

”Minako, how were things in the capital?” Mila asks first, her voice a little stern like every time she is nervous. Next to her, Sara wraps her fingers around her arm and presses her head soothingly against her shoulder.

“The preparations for the prince’s return were proceeding well,” Minako tells them. She visited the palace in the beginning of the month, meeting both the Emperor and the Empress for the first time ever since the night when the Dark Fairy crashed the celebration and cursed their precious son. The reunion was a much more shocking experience than Minako had anticipated: she just hadn’t realized how much both Hiroko and Toshiya would have aged. The years hadn’t been merciful to them, the stress of not having their son around had dyed Toshiya’s black hair grey and robbed the cheerfulness from Hiroko’s face. They spent the first fifteen minutes of their meeting simply crying.

“Needless to say, everyone is longing for him to finally return home. The royal family of Thailand had also arrived at the palace and we also got to have a little chat with Prince Phichit. He has become a very pleasant young man, I think his cheerfulness fits well with our prince’s mild temperament.”

“Well, in that case everything is fine, right?” Mila says, the unsure question aimed at her wife. Sara, on the other hand, doesn’t seem as positive about the news.

“It’s just…” she begins with a sigh. “This has been bothering me for a while now, but is it really okay that we take the prince, the boy we have raised as though he was our own, home to only marry him off to somebody he has never seen in his life?”

Minako sighs, she should have seen that Sara would get bothered by the marriage. Although many kinds of relationships exist in the fairy communities, all from simply platonic to purely sexual, they all have one thing in common. All of the relationships are formed because of shared want, not because of the wishes of some outsiders. To fairies, the concept of an arranged marriage feels extremely primitive.

“Sara, you know that humans have formed loving and healthy relationships even through arrangement. The Emperor and the Empress are a fine example of that.”

“I know that,” Sara says helplessly. “But what if Yuuri doesn’t want any of that? I still think it’s not fair that he is not even given an opportunity to choose.”

“ _Malishka_ , I understand how you feel. But you must remember that Yuuri is different from us: he is a prince and as harsh as it sounds, he must do what is expected of him. Besides, Prince Phichit is considered his true love, remember? I’m sure everything will work out just fine in the end.”

Minako almost opens her mouth to question the existence of “true love” but decides to swallow the words before she can damage everything Mila has been working for. Besides, if the worst happens and the curse comes true, she must give all her support to the spell Sara used to soften the deadly one.

This once, Sara gives in without further arguments. “Alright then, I hope you really are right.”

“She is,” Minako says firmly and claps her hands. “Okay, ladies, go close all the doors and windows. We still have the prince’s birthday present to be finished and I think we could use a little bit of magic with this one!”

 

 

***

The sun has decided not to show up today, either, it marks the fifth day in row. Yuuri wraps the shawl tighter around him as he observes Vicchan run ahead of him, during cold days like this he loses all interest in competing with her. Usually he would just love to stay inside and do nothing, but now that Viktor has become a part of his life, he doesn’t want to give up the routine of visiting the woods. Even though the odds are not on his side, Yuuri can’t help but dream of Viktor finishing his business a bit earlier and return back to him. He is very capable of surprising him, after all.

When Yuuri was younger, the approaching winter made him always feel a little blue. Seeing the naked trees, robbed of their beauty, made him yearn for summer so much his heart started to ache. Before Vicchan joined his family, it felt like winter always took away everything that was precious to him, the place where he could at least try to find a cure for his solitude. Nowadays, however, Yuuri can’t sink into winter depression, not when there are so many places that remind him of Viktor.

He feels his cheeks get warmer when he starts going through places where he has been with Viktor during the past summer and autumn. Lying on the grass and competing which one of them spots the most creative-looking cloud, observing excitedly when the mother fox takes her cups out of their nest for the first time. And standing near their meeting place in an embrace that always lasts way longer than those Yuuri shares with his aunts. In the beginning of their friendship, being hugged so constantly felt a bit awkward to Yuuri, but when he has been forced to go a couple of days without a hug, he feels almost anxious. He misses Viktor’s warmth, his scent, his sometimes so overly-dramatic behaviour. He would give anything to have Viktor by his side again.

Yuuri snaps out of his thoughts at the sound of Vicchan’s bark, his dog has noticed someone’s presence in the woods. Yuuri feels his pulse quicken and covers his mouth in embarrassment, if his wish really reached Viktor and brought him to his side, he will most likely die. Taking a deep breath, Yuuri brushes his hair quickly with his fingers before following after Vicchan. The expecting smile dies from his lips when his eyes find a stranger instead of Viktor.

The stranger is a young man, probably around his age, and is dressed in a high-quality kimono and hakama, both made of crimson fabric. His skin is much more tanned than Yuuri’s, indicating he might not be a citizen of this country, but his dark hair and eyes make him look more familiar to Japanese people than Viktor’s features. When he straightens up and meets his gaze, Yuuri notices he is a little taller than the stranger.

“Is this your dog?” the stranger asks cautiously, a foreign accent audible. At that, Yuuri realizes Vicchan has been circling him the whole time and rushes to pick the dog up in his arms. He certainly needs to give her a lecture later, though he is sure there’s nothing he could do to her playful nature.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Yuuri mutters and bows towards the stranger to strengthen his words.

“It’s fine, I was just a bit surprised. Luckily I left my horse…” he begins, waving absentmindedly at the other direction, trying to get his message across despite forgetting the needed word. “This is really embarrassing, but my Japanese is a bit bad. Can you speak any other languages?”

“English?” Yuuri tries, switching to the language. The stranger’s face brightens, and he lets out a little laugh.

“This is so weird, two Asian guys speaking English to each other in Japan,” he replies in English, “My name is Phichit. What is yours?”

“Yuuri. And this one here is called Vicchan.”

“Nice to meet you, Yuuri. And you too, Vicchan,” Phichit adds after a short pause. “She’s really cute, though, I was just a bit startled because I didn’t think I would bump into a dog here in the woods. Could I pet her?”

“Of course, she would like that very much,” Yuuri says with a coy smile and lowers to his knees to set Vicchan to the ground. Phichit lowers himself next to him and starts petting the dog with such a fond look that could only be outmatched by Viktor. He feels his body relax when he observes the other man, he certainly isn’t someone he should be afraid of. Vicchan seems to like him too, judging from the way she leans into his touch. Phichit notices his stare and smiles at him in return.

“Thank you for letting me pet her, I really wish I had a dog back at home. I only have a horse, but you can’t really bring him to your room and play with him before going to sleep.”

“Then again, you can’t ride a dog,” Yuuri says and makes Phichit snort at the comment. “May I ask where you are from?”

“Thailand. Have you ever been there?”

Yuuri shakes his head. “I’ve never been anywhere, to be honest. I haven’t even been to Kyoto and that’s kind of embarrassing for someone who has lived here for so long. But I have seen Thailand in a map and know a few phrases and such of the language.”

“Really?” Phichit says, seemingly interested. “ _Sabai dee mai?_ ”

“ _Sabai dee khap_.”

Phichit claps his hands excitedly.

“You’re a natural! What else do you know?”

“Just basic things, such as ‘my name is…’, ‘yes’ and ‘no’, and I can also talk about the weather. I understand Thai a bit more, but trying to speak it is just…”

“Yeah,” Phichit says, “that’s exactly my case with Japanese. Good that we both know English, because otherwise it might be pretty difficult to talk to each other like this.”

“That’s true,” Yuuri says, it would have been a bother if he and Phichit didn’t understand each other, especially since he is such a nice person. Yuuri has been very lucky with the few people he has met during his life because none of them have wanted any harm to him. “By the way, what are you doing here in Japan and more specifically here in the forest? Are you lost?”

“No, no, I just left for a little adventure to check out the area,” Phichit says. “And I’m in Japan because I’m going to get married soon.”

“Oh, congratulations,” Yuuri says politely. “What is your fiancé like?”

For some reason, Phichit sighs at the question. “I wish I could answer that. But the truth is I have never met him – or have as a baby, but I naturally have no memory of our meeting.”

Yuuri frowns at him. “So, it’s arranged then?”

Phichit nods and rolls his eyes. “Yup. Thanks to the decision by my lovely mother and father.”

Yuuri nods empathetically, Phichit must be from quite a wealthy family for have his marriage arranged; then again, his clothes also indicate the same. But wealthy or not, Yuuri doesn’t like the idea of making anyone marry a person they haven’t been able to choose by themselves. He knows his thoughts to be naïve, but he still wishes to marry for love – if someone out there would want to marry someone like him, to begin with. If he were ever forced to face such a fate, he would do his everything to get away from it. To his horror, Yuuri realizes he has spoken his mind out loud instead of keeping his thoughts concealed. Phichit stares at him with wide eyes before bursting to laughter.

“Honestly, you’re the first person who’s ever said that,” he says without a single drop of aggressiveness in his tone. “Everyone just keeps claiming that I should simply do as I’m told. I have given up ages ago, because of… reasons, but I still agree with you; I’d rather choose who I want to marry. But I can’t really cancel the wedding at this point, the consequences would be too severe. I can only hope I find my fiancé likable enough.”

“I hope that too,” Yuuri says. “I’m sorry I asked about that.”

He flinches a little when Phichit lays his hand on his shoulder. “Don’t be. I’m glad I got to speak about it to someone who truly understands.”

The conversation drifts to other topics, most of them dealing with their homelands. Yuuri learns about things he has only come across on the pages of his books: about giant elephants, tropical rainforests and spicy foods that sound so delicious that one could eat them every day. Yuuri feels a little ashamed that he doesn’t have any interesting experiences to share, but Phichit patiently listens to his descriptions of his everyday life and even comes up with some questions. They talk about their interests and dreams, about their favourite foods and those they can’t absolutely stand. At some point, Yuuri manages to forget his longing and can simply concentrate on Phichit, with whom he is quickly becoming good friends.

“Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, but I’m expected to dance with my fiancé at the wedding – and not just any sort of dance but European waltz! I have no idea who came up with that idea anyway, but if it’s not too much, could you have one dance with me so that I could practice my leading? I bet you would learn fast, it’s not that difficult in the end…”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri says before Phichit can continue his overly long pleading. “I know how to dance waltz.”

Phichit stares at him with an open mouth. “Really? I’m sorry for questioning, but it’s just bewilders me how much you know about such random things! Who taught you?”

“One of my aunts, she did some travelling in Europe when she was younger and learnt all kinds of popular dances there.”

“Maybe she also met my instructor who came up with this troublesome idea,” Phichit says and straightens up before bowing and offering his hand to Yuuri. “Now, may I have this dance, _sir Yuuri_?”

Yuuri snorts at the title and takes his hand. “With pleasure, _sir Phichit_.”

Grinning, Phichit places his hand on Yuuri’s back and pulls him gently closer to make the dancing easier. He counts to three and starts humming a song that Yuuri has never heard before but that is more than suitable for waltz. He soon finds out that Phichit is very good at dancing despite feeling a bit uncertain about his skills, his leading is easy to follow and he matches his steps well to Yuuri’s own, keeping the movements fluent. But what is most important is the fun: Yuuri can’t remember when he has enjoyed himself like this. He gives in to the feeling, lets his laughter ring loud from the bottom of his heart. When Phichit bends him down, he lets his eyes close and for a second, he can see himself dancing in a real ballroom in a distant palace somewhere in Europe. But then a sudden crackle returns him back to the moment and fills his body with fear.

Phichit must have noticed the sound too, since he pulls Yuuri up quietly and starts scouring the area with his gaze. After the unexpected noise, the forest starts feeling eerily quiet: everything has quieted down, waiting anxiously for a potential fatal attack. Yuuri grabs Vicchan into his arms and takes a step back, his gaze has got stuck on a row of tall trees, a perfect hiding place for the threat. Phichit glances at him and picks a stick from the ground before heading slowly towards the trees. Yuuri is unable to forbid him even if he wants to: the words turn into ash on his tongue the moment he tries to force them out. He can just stand and watch, praying for Phichit’s safety.

“Who’s there?” Phichit tries in Japanese, if he felt scared, Yuuri is unable to perceive it from his tone. When he is right in front of the trees, Yuuri closes his eyes and squeezes Vicchan tight against his chest. His heart almost stops at the second crackle, but fortunately the noise was just made by Phichit. He has thrown the stick away and returns back to him, a reassuring smile making his face glow.

“Danger over, it was probably some sort of an animal that was more scared of us than we were of it. Are you okay?”

Yuuri nods shakily, biting his lower lip to keep himself from crying. He feels so pathetic for panicking like that, his instincts really are oversensitive. Phichit must be right, he has been startled by the fauna of the forest before. Still, he can’t shake off the anxious feeling: for a while, it felt like someone was watching him from the shadows, wanting to devour him.

“It’s alright,” Phichit repeats and pulls him and Vicchan into a gentle hug. “No need to feel embarrassed, if only you knew how sweaty my hands were and how fast my poor heart was beating when I sneaked closer to those trees. Jeez, too much excitement for one day! I’m glad my family didn’t see me, though, since they would definitely have lectured about my performance! Maybe both of us should go home now to calm down, but I’m sure we’ll laugh at this tomorrow. Do you want me to walk you home?”

Yuuri shakes his head and detaches himself from the hug. “I’m alright, my home is not far. Will… will you be alright?”

“Absolutely, thank you for worrying. It was really nice getting to know you, Yuuri. I hope I’ll be able to see you again in the future, whenever that may be.”

Finally, Yuuri manages to smile at him in return. “I hope so too. Have a safe trip home, Phichit.”

They exchange one more hug without parting ways, Yuuri waves at him before he disappears from sight. Then, he turns his back to the woods and starts rushes back home, the speed of his steps increasing until he is running. He tries his best to keep his mind free from anxious thoughts without much luck, he feels again like a child who is struggling to wake up before the nightmare closes around him, locking him inside of its cage for the end of time. Never before has he been afraid of the forest, his home, but now Yuuri doesn’t even dare to glance back across his shoulder. He fears the shadow will be there, waiting for him with open arms before swallowing him inside its endless stomach, locking him away from light for ever.

 _Viktor, help me…_                                                                 

 

 

***

Viktor is holding a never-melting snowflake in his palm, when observed from afar, someone might really believe it to be real. This snowflake is made of dozens of tiny starry crystals joined together: when showed against the light, it shines as brightly as diamonds. Viktor smiles to himself and shoves the pendant gently into the breast pocket of his white coat, he can’t wait to put the silver chain around his Yuuri’s beautiful neck. He will definitely look amazing wearing it, the proof of Viktor’s everlasting love for him.

To be honest, Viktor doesn’t even know if he is able to give Yuuri his gift today: they promised to meet each other again tomorrow, so there is no guarantee he will meet him in the forest a day before the promised date. Still, something inside his heart tells him the possibility of bumping into his sweetheart is very high. Two surprises instead of one, what could possibly be better?

The cool autumn wind delivers distant sounds to Viktor’s ears, he manages to pick up dog’s barking. The realization makes his heart skip a beat, if Vicchan is there, Yuuri must be there too. Without a command, his pace quickens: he want to see his beloved as soon as possible. The forest is trying to whisper something to him, tugging him nervously from the tail of his ice-blue cloak to gain his attention, but Viktor ignores it for now, he can always listen to it later. He can hear Yuuri’s voice now, he is so close, so soon in his arms…

“Yuu–“

The word dies before breaking wholly free, it has been smashed silent by Viktor’s own hand. Holding his breath, he stares at the sight in disbelief, leaning against the trunk of the nearest tree for support. In the meadow, in the place where he and Yuuri meet every single time, is a stranger, a boy to Yuuri’s age. And to make things worse, he has wrapped his arms around him, keeping him close when he leads him to a spin in the dance routine. They are seemingly enjoying each other’s company, laughter echoing in the silence of the grey forest. Viktor feels nauseous, he hasn’t had a chance to dance with Yuuri yet and when he is away for a few days, a stranger boy mysteriously appears and claims his place. Then, the dark flames of anger fill his body, drowning reason so deep he is unable to seize it anymore.  

Silently, Viktor lets the flames out of his body through his fingertips and watches as they twist around his boots, taking a shape of ink-like waves. How immature of him to overreact like that and act all hurt and heartbroken – it’s been such a long time since he has lived in a fairy community that he has forgotten how to deal with unwanted people who try to take away their property. He should simply make him disappear.

The thought of it makes Viktor shudder in excitement, he knows just the right spell for it, a spell that would turn the ink in his feet into shadows that would gobble down that arrogant boy who dared to lay a finger on his Yuuri. Viktor doesn’t quite remember what would happen to the one being swallowed by the shadows, but since the spell was located just before the death curses in his book, he supposes it would serve as a fine punishment for the boy. Oh how much he would regret getting in his way. 

Then Viktor would cast another spell, this time on Yuuri. A spell that would make him indifferent towards any other man, a spell that would make sure Yuuri would never take his eyes away from him. A spell that would make his body ache if he ever got too far from him, a spell that would make him yearn for nothing but Viktor’s love. Yes, that would be perfect: a spell that would keep them together, eternally.

Viktor snaps out of his thoughts when he realizes the shadows have started to flow slowly towards the meadow where Yuuri and the stranger are dancing. Horrified, he forces them back and crushes them with one movement of his hand, stepping on a dry twig in the process. Viktor presses his back against the tree, desperately trying to stop his hands from shaking. He can’t believe what he was about to do; when he left the fairy community he swore to be better than them, swore to never become as vicious as those who ripped his wings off. But this just proved Viktor is just as bad as rest of them, no he is even worse. He feels his eyes burn with tears, to think he would go as far as hurt the one he treasures the most…

 “Who’s there?”

The voice of the stranger forces its way into his ears, probably more loudly than the words were initially uttered. Heart beating in panic, Viktor closes his eyes and thinks of home, feeling the air cool down around him. He needs to get away, he can’t let Yuuri see him in a state like this, after what he was about to do. He is not sure if he can let Yuuri see him ever again.

 

 

***

Phichit doesn’t remember the last time he has been so thrilled, felt adrenaline run so strongly in his veins. He almost knocks the water bucket over when he rushes out of the stable, his horse left hastily in the hands of the stable boy. He is too excited to keep the memory of the meeting to no one but himself, he wants to share the news with someone. And he knows exactly who he wants to listen to his story.

“Good day, Mother and Father,” Phichit says when he bumps into them in the courtyard, both of them looking quite chilly in the cool air that is not that familiar to them. “Do you happen to know where Seung-gil might be?”

“I’m sure you would have figured it out even without asking for our advice,” his father answers, chuckling softly. “He just found the library of the palace today.”

Phichit snorts and shakes his head, he should have known. “Of course, how silly of me. If you’ll please excuse me,” he says before dashing towards the main entrance of the palace, ignoring his mother’s strict order to not run in the palace area. Still, due to the courtesy towards the palace staff, Phichit slows down a little when getting inside the building and heading towards the library. It’s about the same size as the one back at home, but naturally it contains different books that look like hidden treasures in Seung-gil’s eyes. He finds his friend sitting at a small table in the farthest corner of the room, a huge pile of books in front of him. All of them seem to be in Japanese, sometimes Phichit feels really embarrassed by the fact that he never mastered the language the way his friend did. He hopes his fiancé will forgive him and know some Thai instead – or English, like Yuuri.

Seung-gil lifts his gaze and raises an eyebrow at his excited expression. “Well, what happened? I’m sure you would never leave me be if I didn’t let you tell the news right away.”

“You’re absolutely right about that,” Phichit says with a grin and pulls a chair for himself. “So hear me out. I made a little trip to the neighbourhood area and found a huge forest, I bet it would have looked even more amazing if I had visited it during summer time. But that’s not important in this story, the best part is still to come! I met someone there, a boy around our age. His name was Yuuri and he was really nice, we spent hours together by just talking! Do you think we could invite him to the wedding somehow? It would be really fun if he could come!”

Phichit isn’t sure what kind of a reaction he was looking for, but definitely not this one. For a fraction of a second, he can see anger flash in Seung-gil’s dark eyes before his whole expression turns sour. “That won’t do, you know that quite well. This ‘Yuuri’ was a commoner, yes? Commoners have no place in royal weddings.”

“What do you suddenly have against commoners?” Phichit asks confusedly, “I didn’t know you would be that discriminating! I was sure you would be happy about it, you could practice your Japanese with him as well!”

“There are plenty of people in the palace with whom I can practice my Japanese, including your _fiancé_ when he arrives here. Shouldn’t you concentrate on him instead of turning your attention to some other man?”

“Gee, Seung-gil, I just told you a story of making a _friend_ , not getting a secret lover!” Phichit huffs. “Why are you acting like this, shouldn’t you be happy for me for making new friends?”

He jumps a little when Seung-gil slams the book he was holding to the table and rises quickly to his feet. “You’re absolutely right, your highness, I really should. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

Before Phichit can stop him, Seung-gil has stormed past him, disappearing to the labyrinth of tall shelves. For a while, he considers going after him, but drops the idea in the end – Seung-gil can be quite venomous when angered and at times like this, it’s just best to leave him be. For some reason, though, Seung-gil has been a lot snappier lately – after arriving in Japan, there hasn’t been a single day without an argument of sorts. Sometimes Phichit just doesn’t get him; after all, Seung-gil was the one who urged him to concentrate on fulfilling the expectation of his parents and that’s what he has been doing.  There is no reason he should be getting mad at him, now is there?

Sighing, Phichit leaves the library and heads towards the throne room, with so little time left until the wedding, he should at least get to know the family of his fiancé a bit better. The crown princess of Japan and his soon-to-be sister-in-law is still waiting for evidence of his capability to look after her little brother.


	6. The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Maybe you have been keeping a secret from me after all? Could it be that you’re actually a witch?”
> 
> “Such an observant boy you are,” Viktor says and winks at Yuuri, making him giggle softly, and stealing an excellent moment to catch his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and happy Yuuri's birthday! First of all, I’m sorry it took so long for me to update: I’ve been busy with my studies and work and even though I kept trying to continue writing this for months, nothing ever came of it. But now I finally managed to get into a drive of sorts and create some new material for you all, so I really hope it’s been worth the wait. The curse our prince is carrying is soon ready to come true and some important revelations are made at last. To find out more about that, please continue reading and tell me how stressed are you feeling for Yuuri at the moment. :’)]

The pain comes stronger than Yuuri has ever felt, piercing through his heart with its freezing claws so hard he is unable to breathe. It strikes without warning, returns so quickly he doesn’t have time to get ready for another stab. Fingers clenched around the collar of his kimono, Yuuri swallows a whimper when another wave of pain sweeps over his body and tries to find a better position on the bed. The pain isn’t completely unknown to him, he remembers the freezing grip holding his fragile heart, the feeling born from fear of losing his precious Vicchan. This time she isn’t the reason for his anxiety, no, this time the culprit is even worse. The pain found its way back to him when Viktor disappeared from his life without any notice.

Viktor didn’t come back the day he had promised, even though Yuuri spent hours in the woods waiting for him until he started feeling too cold and had to return home. While Yuuri certainly felt disappointed about not seeing him, he had for once decided to rely on something he rarely used when feeling distressed: common sense. He might have heard or remembered the date wrong or whatever had kept Viktor busy might have taken a bit longer than he had initially thought. Life rarely works out as planned, Yuuri is old enough to understand that. But when Viktor didn’t show up the next day or the day after, Yuuri started losing hope. The idea of leaving to the woods started to feel less and less tempting every day for he knew he would only be disappointed. Every trip would only leave him cold and desperate and bring him closer to the eventual shattering of his heart.

Yuuri feels something burn in his eyes when he turns to his side; he doesn’t understand, how could he possibly have messed up so badly that Viktor didn’t want any business with him anymore? Had he been too reserved, too conservative when he had kept his distance despite knowing how Viktor liked to find excuses to touch him, stay close to him? What if that had been Viktor’s goal all along, to gain something else than plain boring friendship from him? And when Yuuri didn’t grant him what he desired, he tossed him aside, left for someone else’s company. Viktor is an extremely handsome man, surely he could easily find someone to entertain him and fulfil all of his wishes.

Still, he should have said something; leaving without a word was just too cruel. The first teardrop rolls down Yuuri’s cheek.

The sound of knocking echoes distantly in his ears. Yuuri doesn’t move an inch when the door cracks open slowly and Vicchan dashes into the room and jumps on the bed, trying to cheer him up with her warm and wet kisses. Yuuri runs his fingers mechanically through her fur, feeling no solace from her presence. The bed creaks a little when someone sits down on it, the dog couldn’t have knocked and got inside by herself, after all. Yuuri flinches a little when he feels Aunt Minako lay her hand on his back.

”My sweet boy, I can see you’re not alright. Please, talk to me.”

Yuuri sucks in a breath to keep himself from crying and continues to pet Vicchan to keep himself busy. The hoarseness of his own voice almost startles him when he opens his mouth.

“Please, I just want to be alone.”

He was an idiot to think Aunt Minako would be convinced by such a pathetic attempt. She sighs quietly and starts to stroke his back gently. “Yuuri, whatever is bothering you isn’t going to be fixed if you hide here in your room. I’m sure we can sort things out if we work together.”

“This isn’t something you can fix, Aunt Minako.”

“Really now, Yuuri, I’m sure…”

“I said I wanted to be alone!” Yuuri snaps and bounces to his feet so quickly Vicchan dashes away from him. “Why don’t you understand it, Aunt Minako, I’m not a child! Why can’t you just respect my wish and leave me be?”

“But Yuuri, I didn’t mean to…”

“Never mind, you wouldn’t understand…” Yuuri hisses through his teeth and rushes to the door and towards the stairs before she can stop him. He ignores Aunt Mila and Aunt Sara and heads straight to the hall, quickly stuffing his feet into the boots he received from his aunts last winter. Eyes fixed on the door, Yuuri snatches his shawl from a little stool next to Aunt Minako’s shoes and leaves the house, indifferent towards the cries of his aunts. He starts to run and keeps the pace up until the cold air fills his lungs and makes him feel sick, but he couldn’t care less at the moment. At least it makes him forget the pain for a while.

A new twist of pain finally stops him, striking through Yuuri’s heart so hard he almost loses his balance and falls to his knees. Palm pressed against his mouth, Yuuri locks the scream inside of him, forcing it all the way down to his stomach despite wanting to puke. Then, he slowly raises his head. Even though the scenery seems a bit blurry at first, he quickly realizes where his feet have taken him: to his favourite place, the place where he met Viktor for the first time.

The meadow, however, has never looked so depressing. The colours of summer have been swept away, the sounds of joy all gone. At the moment, Yuuri feels like he is the only person in the whole wide world. In the world of greyness and quiet, Viktor’s existence is merely a desperate dream.

Yuuri lowers himself on the cold ground, presses his face against the nearest stone and starts to cry.

 

 

***

Ice has crept all the way to the ceiling of his bedroom, covering the light wallpapers with bright blue glimmer, but Viktor couldn’t care less. Freezing winds have never affected him, he was born in the coldest time of year, on one of those days when the sun barely comes out and shadows reign the world. In fact, Viktor might actually enjoy staying like this until spring, lying on his bed and watching his breath turn into little clouds. There’s nothing out there for him, after all.

Viktor registers someone opening the door but doesn’t bother to give Yuri any attention. Still, he can sense his mood without glancing at him, some dark clouds have invaded the numb atmosphere of the space. He is actually surprised when Yuri doesn’t begin to yell at him but lets out an annoyed sigh instead.

”Okay, I’ve had enough. You’ve been sulking here for a fucking week, so what’s the big deal? Didn’t you see your boyfriend after all?”

“No, I did see him,” Viktor replies flatly, still staring at the ceiling above him. Some long icicles have started to grow out of it as though they were grass or flowers that have been embraced by the first rays of the spring sun.

Yuri swings his hand once and the icicles fall on the floor with a loud crash. “Well what’s the fucking problem then? Was the piece of jewellery you made too fancy to his liking?”

“I didn’t even get a chance to give it to him. When I got there, Yuuri was with someone else.”

“Oh.”

There are rare moments, when Viktor actually manages to make Yuri shut his mouth, and since he managed to do it now, the next time will happen somewhere around next summer at the earliest. He doesn’t move an inch when Yuri lowers himself on the edge of his bed, his green eyes sharp like he was trying to stare straight into his soul.

“So by someone else, you mean he was with some guy. And then you got upset because of that.”

“Bingo.”

Yuri huffs in a way that almost sounds emphatic although something in his eyes tells Viktor that he is somewhat enjoying his miserable state. “Alright then, tell me everything. What was going on there, was your sweet Yuuri being fondled by that other guy or were they doing something more inappropriate…”

“Of course not,” Viktor snaps, “they were dancing together.”

“Oh boo hoo,” Yuri says in a loud voice, tilting his head a little to pretend he has heard something extremely shocking. “Dancing, really Viktor? Judging from your behaviour, I was expecting to hear something juicier than that.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t danced with Yuuri before!” Viktor says irritably, despite knowing how childish he sounds, and turns his back at Yuri so that he doesn’t need to see his annoying face. “Besides, it wasn’t just the dance. They seemed to have so much fun together, Yuuri was so relaxed, much more relaxed than when we first met. It felt like he had already forgotten about me when I was gone for a couple of days and replaced me with some stupid little boy!”

“You’re being an idiot and you know that,” Yuri says matter-of-factly. “It doesn’t matter that you’re so crazy about that human that he makes you act all but rationally – he is still allowed to have other friends than you. That’s just something you have to deal with.”

“Don’t think I’m that delusional, of course I know that!” Viktor hisses. “It’s just... I almost did something terrible to them that day. For a moment, I wanted to kill that boy for taking my place and use some magic on Yuuri so that he would never leave my side – and it really scared me. I know us fairies are generally jealous by nature, but I never thought such thoughts would ever fill my mind…”

“You’re far too gone by now,” Yuri says in a way that’s impossible for interpret. “Now look here, my kind gets jealous too, so do humans. Even though you don’t like feeling that way, it’s an emotion like any other and you should accept it. Feeling jealous every now and then doesn’t make you less good than anyone else, however, what really matters is how you deal with those feelings. At least you proved that you’re quite capable of controlling yourself even in such a fury.”

Viktor opens his mouth to protest, but this time, he doesn’t find the right words. Instead, he lets out a weak question, revealing his vulnerability to Yuri. He has no idea how he should deal with the toxic feelings he despises so much.

Yuri groans loudly and jumps on the floor. “Don’t be so fucking dumb, just go talk to him or something! Tell him you’re worried about him not enjoying your company anymore – but don’t go ruining it by blurting out something as stupid as ‘I was just stalking you a little bit earlier and I don’t want you to see with any other guys’". Besides,” he says, stopping at the doorstep, “with your looks, I wouldn’t be too worried. If that Yuuri doesn’t get it, he must be damn blind. Now get a grip of yourself, I need you to be ready for tomorrow when we get to slaughter the prince!”

The door slams shut behind him, leaving Viktor alone in his icy cave. For some reason, though, his mind feels a little lighter than for days. He never thought Yuri would become some source of comfort for him.

Closing his eyes for a second, Viktor forces the ice to retreat. One piece of crystal remains, though, the one he was supposed to give to Yuuri before. It’s lying on the floor on the left side of his bed, Viktor was sure he had lost it in his anger and bends down to pick it on his palm. The pendant is still as beautiful as ever, still worth of being given to his beloved. That alone is a sign strong enough to convince him to return to the woods and give his and Yuuri’s relationship another shot.

 

 

***

In retrospect, leaving the house was a good idea. The first breath Viktor takes almost makes him shudder, the taste of approaching winter feels like the elixir of life on his tongue. He didn’t realize how suffocating it was to stay surrounded by the walls of his home for seven days straight.

No snow has arrived yet, but Viktor knows it will only be a matter of time. He could always speed things up a little if he wanted to, but he prefers letting nature do its own work, letting it surprise him every year with big and fluffy flakes of snow that never fail to look beautiful. He knows the forest is already anxious to get a proper white dress, the trees look so helpless, shivering in the cold wind without any warm layers. Viktor touches the trunk of an ancient oak softly and whispers a promise of a nice winter coat against its bark. Then, he hears it: soft sobbing, carried to him by the wind.

Heart throbbing anxiously, Viktor heads towards the sound, his pace quickening when the sound starts getting louder. Before he realizes it, he has arrived to his and Yuuri’s usual meeting place, the place filled with so many happy memories. This time, though, happiness has passed the meadow and left a sight that almost breaks Viktor’s heart. The sobbing noise is coming from the mouth of his beloved.

”Yuuri?”

Yuuri raises his head slowly and turns to glance behind his shoulder. His eyes are swollen and red, filled with tiny drops of water that are ready to start flowing down his face. Viktor stares at him awkwardly for a few heartbeats, mind blank and body frozen. He has never been good with crying people, for even though he knows he should try to comfort them in some way, he magically loses his ability to think when someone becomes a doppelgänger of an actual waterfall. But before he can force himself to move, Yuuri has bounced to his feet and rushed to him, fist ready like he was planning to hit him in the face. Still, people like Yuuri would never use violence in their anger, not even when the target of their frustration might deserve it. The touch of his fist feels like a feather against Viktor’s stomach.

“Yuuri, darling…”

“How dare you!” Yuuri yells in a trembling voice, his gaze pressed down like he was ashamed of being seen in such a state. Despite the attempt, Viktor can see the tears have started to run faster down his cheeks.

”Don’t you get it? I was worried sick about you when you didn’t show up like you promised! And then I started to think that m-maybe you had got t-tired of me and wasn’t planning to come back at all… You were so c-cruel, Viktor! Why didn’t you come?”

Finally, Viktor’s muscles are willing to co-operate. Without a word, he wraps his arms around Yuuri, pulling him carefully against his body. He feels Yuuri protest a little at first, but after a while he is crying harder, ruining Viktor’s purple winter cloak with his snot. At the moment Viktor couldn’t care less even if Yuuri ruined all of his favourite clothes. What matters more is that he is here again, here at his side. Viktor feels his body lose all the tension there was left as he lets his fingers caress Yuuri’s soft hair.

“Yuuri, I’m so sorry. The thing I was working on required more time than I had thought and I couldn’t leave it incomplete. Still, I should have found a way to contact you and tell you about the situation. I’m sorry, my darling, please don’t cry. I promise I’ll never make you sad again.”

“You’re not lying to me now, Viktor?” Yuuri sniffs against his chest. “You haven’t got tired of me?”

“I would never lie to you, my angel,” Viktor says although he can feel his tongue smart from the mendacious words he let out of his mouth. Still, he tries to concentrate on the comforting thought: if everything goes as planned, soon he doesn’t have to lie to Yuuri about anything ever again. “And I could never ever get tired of you – how could anyone get tired of their favourite person? I’m sorry, I really made you sad, didn’t I? Is there anything I can do?”

“Just stay close to me, that’s more than enough.”

Viktor obeys his wish and stays silent as Yuuri continues to sob quietly, only continuing to pet his hair to show that he cares. His beloved must have kept all the sadness inside his heart for so long, for there’s so much to shed. Although it saddens him to know Yuuri has been in pain, especially because he was the reason of his sorrow, he feels a little happy about being worth of his trust. When Viktor met Yuri for the first time, the teen cried at night for the loss of his family, but he tried to do it in secret to keep up a façade of a tough warrior. Viktor’s former lovers, on the other hand, had learnt not to shed a tear before him since rumours had it he was deep down a cold-hearted bastard who was only good for satisfying their sexual needs. Because of that, Viktor never learnt to deal with people who were so open about their emotions even when saddened, but he is happy to know he is good enough to comfort Yuuri.

Slowly, Viktor tilts Yuuri’s head up and bends down to wipe away his tears. Although his face is far from its usual fairness, there’s still something in it that makes Viktor’s heart skip a beat. He wonders whether it would be appropriate to kiss him now, to soothe him, and leans a little closer to test it out. Yuuri’s eyes widen a little, but he doesn’t try to retreat from him, doesn’t resist when Viktor keeps him steady to close the distance between them. However, an emotion Viktor didn’t expect to see in this situation flashes on his face, and he pulls back. Yuuri definitely winced at him.

”Yuuri, what’s wrong? You made a face as though you were in pain.”

“It’s just my chest, it’s been aching lately for some reason…” Yuuri mutters, his hand pressed against his heart, but he quickly forces his tone into a brighter one when he notices the look on Viktor’s face. “But I’m sure it’s nothing serious, I’ve probably just been so overwhelmed or something. It will pass in time, I’m rarely ill, you see.”

Viktor feels the warmth fade from his skin, the memory of the vision that seems to be the least likely to happen has returned to his mind. He needs to use all his willpower to not to let any tears roll down to his cheeks, the image is too vivid, so powerful it’s almost capable of breaking his heart. Yuuri lying on the freshly fallen snow, cheeks pale and eyes closed, unable to react to Viktor’s desperate words. How could he not have taken that possibility into account, what if something really went wrong and he lost the person he treasured the most in the world? Viktor squeezes Yuuri hard, desperately trying to calm himself. It’s not too late, he still has time to react to the future and alter it. He has to make sure Yuuri won’t face the most horrible fate that could await.

“Viktor, you’re hurting me a bit…”

Yuuri’s words force him back to reality, replace the black and white scenery with natural colours. Yuuri is staring at him worriedly, Viktor didn’t even realize him cup his face with his hands. “Hey, is everything alright?”

Viktor swallows the words anxiety forced on his tongue and takes Yuuri’s hands firmly in his own.

“You mustn’t take this too lightly, Yuuri, what if something bad happened to you? For your information, I’m not planning to watch the person I care about being hurt and do nothing about it. Come visit my home, I’ll make some medicine for you.”

“You don’t have to, I’m fine, really…”

“Yuuri, I insist,” Viktor says a little more forcefully. “You only have one life, take better care of it – if not for you, then at least for me!”

Yuuri opens his mouth to object, but Viktor silences him with his gaze. He is already preparing a spell to make Yuuri get over his stubbornness and submit to him in this matter when Yuuri finally sighs, giving in.

“Is it far? I can’t stay for long, I have already made my aunts worried.”

“Not too far, I promise,” Viktor says with a smile and kisses Yuuri’s hands softly to convince him. “Thank you, my sweet. I promise you won’t regret it.”

 

 

***

If Viktor’s steps felt quite light already when he left for the woods, he feels almost like flying now when returning back home. Yuuri’s hand firmly in his own, he leads him deeper in the forest, to places that he hasn’t been familiar with before. Viktor can’t help but keep constantly glancing at the boy at his side, his eyes are glimmering softly like he was observing something out of this world. Viktor tries to guess what he is admiring so intensively but decides it’s better to stay quiet and simply watch over him.

After a while, Yuuri finally opens his mouth. His voice sounds a little hoarse after crying, but otherwise he seems to be as fine as he can be. “I forgot to tell you something. When you were gone, I made a new friend. His name is Phichit.”

Viktor feels something cold twist in his chest but tries to keep his voice cheerful nevertheless. “Is that so? What was he like?”

“He was very nice and outgoing – it’s quite funny how I attract people like that, you know. He was also my age and liked Vicchan, just like you do.”

“Was he handsome as well?”

Viktor was never supposed to ask that, but the words came out so quickly that he couldn’t stop them on time. Yuuri turns his head at him confusedly and frowns.

“Well, objectively speaking, he looked pretty handsome. However,” he continues, much more quietly this time, his whole face painted in crimson, “he wasn’t as handsome as… you.”

If the situation were different, Viktor might have given quite a yell at this point. He really had nothing to worry about in the end, how could he have been so insecure and petty? At the moment it’s crystal clear there is no one he could call a rival in love. The Japanese gods, whatever they are, really are on his side. He promises to thank them in his prayers tonight before going to sleep.

Feeling overly smug about the confession, Viktor leans teasingly closer to Yuuri. “Oh, so you think I’m handsome?”

Yuuri turns his head away, but Viktor can see his cheeks have gotten even redder. “N-no comment…”

“Really now, my dear, it’s not a sin to admit it out loud. I’m quite fond of my looks and it made me very happy to hear they appeal to you.”

“Will you please stop it? I should never have said anything…”

“That, my darling, I won’t do. I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life.”

They walk the rest of the trip in silence, mostly because Yuuri stubbornly keeps his mouth pressed in a thin line, but he never lets go of his hand. A bit before they reach Viktor’s home area, he silently commands the protection shield of his home to fade away; it might have been a bit suspicious if a house suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of them. When the top of the tower Viktor built especially for stargazing appears behind the trees, he hears Yuuri gasp quietly. The magical environment was enough to make him forget the embarrassment from before.

Before sinking to overly dramatic depression caused by a temporary heartbreak, Viktor spent some time adding more decorations to his garden, to make it more beautiful now that his favourite shades of green are all gone now. The parched grass has turned into a shining white carpet and the other trees have been given some crystal-like leaves for replacement. But the most eye-capturing things are probably the sculptures he made of ice: a bunch of different animals have been carefully placed in different sides of the garden, some birds on the top of the trees, a poodle modelled after his precious Makkachin sitting on guard next to the terrace. They all shine with a beautiful blue colour that perfectly matches the walls of his home. 

Viktor glances at Yuuri and is quite pleased to see him stare at it all, mouth open. It feels almost pointless to ask whether he likes what he sees.

”More than that, I love it!” Yuuri says in a way that couldn’t possibly be faked. “Your house is so beautiful and those trees, covered with ice… I can’t understand how you made all of this, it’s almost magical.” He turns his gaze back to Viktor and narrows his eyes a little like he was trying to determinate whether Viktor was hiding something important from him. Viktor feels his face pale a little, he wasn’t ready to tell Yuuri about his fairy heritage and for a moment, he actually fears his secret has been revealed. But when Yuuri opens his mouth again, his tone is nothing but playful, slightly flirty even.

“Maybe you have been keeping a secret from me after all? Could it be that you’re actually a witch?”

“Such an observant boy you are,” Viktor says and winks at Yuuri, making him giggle softly, and stealing an excellent moment to catch his breath. “Actually, there happens to be a rather scary witch figure in Slavic folklore. She’s named Baba Yaga and even though she sometimes helps those who come to her, she might just as well eat them.”

“If you really were a witch, what would you do to me?”

This time, there’s no doubt Yuuri isn’t doing this on purpose. Viktor feels his heart skip a beat, he almost wants to pinch himself to make sure he isn’t dreaming; to even think the Yuuri he first met would become so bold, so seductive. Viktor swallows quietly when he realizes they’re heading fast towards the outcome he was desiring the most when predicting his own future a week ago. He just needs to keep his cool to achieve what he wants.

Viktor tilts his head to the side and strokes Yuuri’s cheek with his fingers, concentrating hard on keeping his tone low. “Why, my dear, I would eat you, of course. But not before doing all sorts of other things to you…”

Yuuri flushes a little but doesn’t turn away from him, the technique Viktor chose is really working. The reply is barely a whisper. “What… kind of things?”

“I can show you if you want.”

Yuuri doesn’t say anything to that, but Viktor can see the answer in his eyes, in the way he leans into the touch. Silently, he lowers his other hand to Yuuri’s waist and pulls him closer until they only have a few inches between their bodies. Viktor can feel Yuuri shiver a bit when he presses his hands lightly against Viktor’s chest and opens his mouth in invitation. Eyes half-lidded, Viktor runs his thumb softly on Yuuri’s lower lip before leaning close to him. Finally, this is happening.

Their lips never touch, not even though everything in the moment was leading to the culmination. In the dream world, Viktor would already know what Yuuri’s kisses taste like, but in real life something might always ruin the best moments at the worst possible time. This time, the one responsible is a young shapeshifter whose sudden scream makes them both flinch and jump away from each other. Viktor swears he will kill Yuri when Yuuri is not around, but the moment he turns his attention, very unwillingly, to his apprentice, he almost loses his cool. Yuri is holding a huge axe he once stole when they were getting back from Russia and to Viktor’s horror, he is pointing the blade straight at Yuuri.

 _“What the heck, Viktor, how did you manage to get him here already?”_ Yuri yells in Russian, his green eyes gleaming in excitement regardless of his rough tone. _“Never mind, let’s kill him!”_

“V-Viktor,” Yuuri mutters in a shaky voice. He has taken a step back, half hiding behind Viktor’s back. “Who is he, what’s going on?”

“That’s just Yura, no need to feel alarmed,” Viktor says as airily as he can and gives Yuuri’s hand a quick squeeze to calm him down. “I’m so sorry about that, he feels a bit suspicious towards strangers; one can’t blame him for it though, he had a very rough childhood. I’ll explain everything to him, okay?”

Then, Viktor turns back to his apprentice, trying his best to keep his voice cheerful despite wanting to give him the lecture of the year. _“Yura, put that thing away. You’re scaring him.”_

 _“Well, that’s the point if we’re going to kill him!”_ Yuri replies in a loud voice, still pointing the axe at Yuuri. _“Stop playing around, Viktor, hand him over, so I can cut his arm off for starters!”_

Viktor almost loses his temper at that. He can feel the heat of the dark flames caress his stomach, desperately asking for his permission to get out of his body and seize Yuri for a while to teach him a lesson. Still, the piece of rationality he has left knows everything will be over if his beloved sees something like that to happen and after gaining another chance, Viktor is not taking any more risks. Even though he manages to keep the flames away, his tone comes out more vicious than he initially planned.

_“Yuri Nikolaevich Plisetsky, didn’t you hear what I said? Go to your room and don’t come out until I tell you otherwise!”_

A pressing silence takes over the scene for a while. For once, Yuri is staring at him in disbelief, the loss of the battle reflecting from his eyes. His lips are moving a little like he was throwing new insults at him, but for some reason, no words come out. Then, after a moment that feels like an eternity, the teen slams the axe on the ground with such a power that his thoughts couldn’t possibly be misinterpreted. Viktor is sure he saw him mouthing “fuck you” at his direction before marching to the porch and slamming the door shut after him.

Viktor definitely needs to deal with Yuri later, but it should wait until his anger has lost some heat and until Yuuri is not present to witness another argument. He forces a smile back on his face before turning all his attention at him, only finding his beloved shivering.

“I am so sorry about that, my sweet. Yuri doesn’t mean any harm, he’s just… well, he has been through a lot.”

To Viktor’s horror, Yuuri looks like he is ready to shed new tears. “It’s my fault. I should never have come here…”

“Hey, don’t say that, _dorogoi_. It’s not your fault – if anyone should be blamed, that would be me who didn’t inform poor Yura about your visit,” Viktor hurries and wraps his arm around Yuuri’s waist to pull him back to his side. “I’m really glad you’re here, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you during the past days. Shall we go inside? I’ll make you the medicine I promised to.”

Luckily for him, Yuuri seems to have calmed down a little and nods in answer. Viktor starts to lead him towards the house, chattering about nonsensical things that come to his mind to keep his love occupied. At the back of his mind, he wonders whether he could give Yuri actual house arrest for his act.

Feeling relieved to see Yuri hasn’t broken the hall into pieces, Viktor takes Yuuri to the kitchen and sits him down on the wooden bench beside the table. Observing the tall blue shelfs and the ceramic tiles decorated with flowers is enough to keep him busy while Viktor works on the potion with his back at him. He keeps his spells calm and controlled so that nothing could make Yuuri actually start suspecting him of witchcraft. As a final touch, Viktor changes the colour of the potion into green so that the drink will resemble some sort of herbal tea. Then he pours some of it into a small cup and offers it to Yuuri.

“Here you go, I can’t promise it tastes good, but drink all of it, will you?”

Yuuri takes the cup into his hands and gulps the potion down without any objections. If the potion burned on his tongue, he doesn’t let it show. Viktor can only notice the colour on his cheeks darken a little.

“Thank you. You really are quite something, Viktor. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Definitely – like keeping any real discipline here,” Viktor says and rolls his eyes. He even manages to make Yuuri laugh at this, apparently he isn’t too bothered about his first encounter with Yuri anymore. “But tell me, how do you like my home?”

“It’s more beautiful than any house I could ever imagine. It must be wonderful to live here.”

“Then why don’t you move in with me?”

The words escape from his mouth quicker than Viktor had planned. The image has grown too strong: now that Yuuri is here, he would love to have him stay for the rest of their lives. There are so many things they could do together, read by the fire in the drawing room, take Vicchan on long walks, watch the seasons change. He could teach Yuuri the secrets of skywatching and introduce him to the tastiest foods he knows. And at night, Yuuri would be there beside him, his breathing soft and calming, the warmth of his body so comforting that Viktor could rest without dreams of fire or the prince he has cursed. But all of that is something Viktor knows he cannot demand, not without Yuuri’s consent. Still, looking at the evidence he has gathered today, it’s more than possible that all of his dreams could soon come true: he just needs the final confirmation.

Yuuri flushes at his question, brown eyes wide like he was thinking of scenarios that would never be suited for children’s ears. “Um, I don’t know about that, Viktor…” he begins slowly, his eyes glued to one of the wall tiles like he was talking to it.  “I live with my aunts and, well, I’m not related to you or anything, so would it be appropriate for me to be living here in your house?”

“Of course. Besides, Yuri lives here too.”

If inviting Yuuri to live with him might have been a little risqué at this point, his reply was the worst thing he could have blurted out. The timid glow instantly dies on his face only to be replaced by a look that could make anyone feel blue. Viktor curses his own idiocy, now he basically implied he sees the two Yuris in the same light, merely as something he could call “brothers”. He swallows a sigh and tries again, taking Yuuri’s hand in his own.

“What I meant is we don’t need to care about the opinions of other people. You don’t need to be related to me to start living here: we could be just us, Viktor and Yuuri. You could have your own room and you could decorate it however you like. I would make sure you got whatever your heart desired. Could you at least consider it, coming to live with me?”

Yuuri’s expression is somewhat ambiguous, but at least he doesn’t pull his hand away.

“I’ll promise to consider it.”

At the moment, that’s the best reply Viktor could have gotten and he decides to settle for it.

“Thank you. Oh, that reminds me: I have a gift for you!”

Yuuri opens his mouth in bafflement. “How did you know my birthday is tomorrow? I don’t recall telling you that…”

“I didn’t, it was just a lucky coincidence,” Viktor says and chuckles a little at Yuuri’s confusion, it’s quite a coincidence that Yuuri shares his birthday with the cursed prince. “But if it’s your birthday tomorrow, I need to get you something else as well…”

“Now don’t be stupid, one gift is more than enough,” Yuuri says strictly but smiles a little curiously at him. “Can I see it?”

“Of course, my angel. Close your eyes first, will you?”

Yuuri obeys him immediately and Viktor pulls the pendant from the breast pocket of his dark shirt, giving the snowflake a quick evaluating look before stepping behind Yuuri. Holding his breath, Viktor adjusts the necklace and brushes Yuuri’s neck softly with his fingers before telling him he is allowed to look now. He sees Yuuri bow a little so that he can see the pendant a bit better and smiles to himself when he hears him gasp loudly.

“This… Viktor, this is so beautiful… Don’t tell me you made this by yourself, too?”

“That might be possible,” Viktor says cheerfully, trying his best to sound at least a little modest. Before he can start to brag a little about his skills in jewellery making, Yuuri has turned to him and thrown himself into his arms.

“I don’t understand how you can be real, Viktor… Thank you, thank you so much. Not just for the necklace, for everything.”

Viktor wants to sigh when he feels Yuuri’s warmth embrace contently his body. “Everything for you, my favourite person.”

Yuuri pulls away and frowns a little. “Now I feel a little bad for not having anything for you. Have I missed your birthday already?”

It takes a while for Viktor to figure out what to answer to that. “Actually, I’m not sure when my birthday is. I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before, but like you, I never knew my parents. The winters of Russia can be cruel.”

Half of that was a lie: for the fairy he is, Viktor was never born like humans and has never felt any need to call anyone his parent. But half of his words were true or close to it, at least. He has no idea what day he was born, for he grew so fast and didn’t need to care about such irrelevant things. He can only remember facing a blizzard on the first day of his life.

“But let’s not get too gloomy about it: we should think of the bright side!” Viktor says quickly before he can ruin the mood. “Since I don’t know my birthday, I could pick whatever day I wanted to. Let’s see… I’ll want my birthday to be on December 25th. It’s not too far from yours, now is it?”

“Not too far,” Yuuri agrees. “I should definitely get something for you too, even though there is not much I could give. Is there anything you would like?”

If Viktor could ask for anything, he would choose Yuuri’s love without a doubt, but such a thing isn’t something he can wish for his birthday. “Could I have a lock of your hair? Then I could also have you with me, wherever you were.”

“Even I can afford that,” Yuuri says softly. “Do you have a knife here somewhere?”

Viktor doesn’t have to search for long before he has found a small knife and a piece of ribbon he has used on decorating his potion bottles. It takes a while to find a suitable lock for cutting, though, since Viktor doesn’t want the cut to be too noticeable for Yuuri’s aunts, nor does he want to settle for too small a piece. But after he found the perfect lock for cutting, the whole ceremony felt so fast, too fast even. He would have wanted to run his fingers through Yuuri’s hair for much longer.

“I think I should get going,” Yuuri says finally and adjusts the collar of his kimono so that the necklace stays hidden. “I caused quite a show at home today when I ran off like that and I’m sure my aunts are worried about me.”

“Yeah, you’ve been here for long,” Viktor says, although he doesn’t want him to go. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

“Thank you, but I think I’ll manage just fine. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed since I cried so much earlier, so I could use a moment of silence before facing my aunts.”

“It’s alright, I understand. When shall we meet again?”

“Tomorrow’s a little…” Yuuri begins quietly, but then his face brightens up. “Actually, since you’ve never had a proper birthday celebration, how about you come to my place? My aunts are cooking katsudon, my favourite food, tomorrow, and it would be nice to introduce you to them. I’m sure they would adore you.”

Viktor pretends to think, even though he knows too well he should definitely not go. While Yuuri accepts him, he can’t be sure about his aunts – what if they recognize him as the Dark Fairy and give Yuuri a good reason to never visit him again? There are too many things that could go wrong, the idea is too dangerous to put into practice. Besides, he already promised Yuri he would be here to see the cursed prince die on the floor of their drawing room.

“I don’t know, Yuuri… I’d love to be there, but you know that I don’t interact with that many people for reasons.”

“Oh, I forgot,” Yuuri says quietly. “Still, I’m sure my aunts would accept you the way I did, but I understand if you can’t come. I… I just really wished I could spend my birthday with you.”

Then again, Yuri has behaved so badly today, so that breaking the promise Viktor made with him earlier might serve as a proper punishment. 

“On the other hand, it’s been a while since those things happened, so they might not remember me at all,” Viktor says and feels a sweet warmth fill his body when Yuuri smiles at him. “The usual place at the usual time?”

“I’ll be there,” Yuuri promises and takes a step closer to him. For a moment, Viktor thinks he is going to hug him for goodbye, but his heart stops for a second: Yuuri has stood on his tiptoes and pressed a kiss on his cheek. The touch is so light and quick that Viktor almost thinks he is dreaming, but in the dream world his cheeks wouldn’t get warmer like this, especially on the spot Yuuri’s sweet lips just touched. He is sure his face is burning just as much as Yuuri’s, who has turned away from him and rushes away before Viktor can fully realize what just happened. From the hall, he hears Yuuri yell a rather hoarse goodbye before slamming the door shut behind him.

Viktor needs to sit down on the bench to process the incident and to calm his overly excited heart down. Still, he knows one thing for sure now: Yuuri does indeed like him! Even though he hasn’t gotten a chance to dance with him yet, he has gotten something much better, a proper kiss! The happy event definitely needs to be celebrated, however, there is something Viktor needs to take care of first. There are a couple of things he needs to tell Yuri.

 

 

***

Yuri jumps a little when Viktor yanks the door of his room open without warning and marches in. He was clearly working on a spell just a moment before Viktor’s arrival, a tiny blue flame is glowing timidly a few centimetres above the wooden floor, right above the spell book Viktor got him last winter. He doesn’t bother to check what spell Yuri was making and turns his attention straight at him, narrowing his eyes when he sees Yuri glare back at him.

”You should be grateful I haven’t frozen your door shut and locked you inside your room until next spring!” Viktor hisses, he can feel the dark flames grow slightly hotter somewhere under his skin. “Do you have any idea what you were about to do? You almost ruined my date!”

“Ex-fucking-cuse me?!” Yuri screams and bounces angrily to his feet. He still keeps a bit of distance between them, Viktor doesn’t know whether Yuri is more concerned about being harmed or harming him in his fury. “You’re the one who ruined literally everything, we had such a good opportunity to kill him!”

“I’m not saying this again, so you have to listen to me carefully,” Viktor says slowly, keeping his voice calm and low despite feeling hatred burn in his chest, “If you dare lay a finger on my Yuuri, I’m going to end your life with my own hands.”

“Your Yuuri?” Yuri repeats in a high voice. “How can you be so fucking blind? His name is not Yuuri and he definitely is not your average peasant boy! I can’t believe it, you have been trying to seduce the cursed prince for months!”

The flames die instantly, making way for a freezing grip that leaves Viktor breathless. He stares at his apprentice in disbelief, he must be lying or mistaken, fate cannot be so cruel. Still, a small malicious voice at the back of his mind reminds him of the day when he met Yuuri for the first time and kept wondering whether he could be related to the royal family somehow.

Viktor shakes it off by force. “That can’t be… Yuuri is not the prince, I would have known if he was! You’re just making things up because you don’t want me to actually be happy again!”

Yuri looks as though he has been hit straight in the face. “Even I’m not that much of a douchebag,” he says, voice all chilly. “I can prove it to you, I’ve been working on evidence anyway. Do you have anything that has belonged to him?”

Reluctantly, Viktor slips his fingers into the breast pocket of his shirt and hands the lock of Yuuri’s hair to him. “Now if you dare ruin it…”

“I won’t,” Yuuri snaps back. “But I wonder whether you want to keep it anymore after seeing this.”

Then, he drops the dark lock into the flame.

Before Viktor can protest against the act, the flame bursts into a huge dark-blue ocean that spreads out around them. He sees Yuuri standing before a small cabin that is most likely his home, breathing slowly in and out like he was trying to gather courage for something important. Then, the door is slammed open and three women rush outside, the foremost almost tackling him. Her hair is long and brown and though she is wearing plain clothes, Viktor would recognize Japan’s leading fairy, Minako, anywhere. Behind her are standing the prince’s two other fairy godmothers, Mila and Sara, both of them looking at Yuuri so fondly it makes his breathing grow too fast. Then the picture changes and he sees himself standing in the throne room, his hair was still long back then. The air is full of anxiety waiting to burst when he walks to the cradle to see the new-born prince, the only son of the Emperor and Empress of Japan. When he bends a little to stroke the child’s cheek, Viktor stares at the child’s round face in horror. He would always recognize those chocolaty eyes, they are one of the features he loves the most in Yuuri.

“Enough!”

Viktor has no idea how loud he yelled, his voice sounds so distant in his own ears, his breathing is far more louder for sure, as loud as the thumping of his heart. In his peripheral vision, he can see Yuri look oddly worried.  

”We have to break the curse…” Viktor tries after forcing his breathing back to a more natural cycle.  “There has to be a way, something that will undo the spell…”

“But there’s none, you told me that 20 years ago! No matter what you’ll do, the prince will die tomorrow!”

“Fine, then I’ll just find a way to bring him back to life!”

“For fuck’s sake, are you even listening to yourself!” Yuri yells and grabs him by arm. “There’s no such a spell that could bring someone back from death, you know that damn well too! If there was, you would have tried to save your dog back then!”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Viktor yells back and forces Yuri’s hand away, the grip around his sleeve had just started to burn. “I can’t just sit and let him die! Don’t you understand, Yura, I love him!”

Yuri opens his mouth slightly, his expression a mixture of shock and disgust. “Well that’s too bad,” he says spitefully, “I so knew you’d come to fucking regret it!”

He storms past him out of the room, Viktor has no idea where he is going and he doesn’t care to ask. Instead, he stays completely still, he couldn’t move a muscle even if he wanted to. His body has begone almost too heavy for him to carry, the weight so great he wants to collapse on the floor. Even after seeing the evidence, he doesn’t want to believe it, how could he have been so blind? After swearing to destroy everyone in the court, he was never supposed to fall for the prince who serves as the catalyst for his curse. Yet his heart betrayed him: when his path crossed again with Yuuri’s, he received so much life and love he thought he could never experience. And now his beloved will die because of him… he truly is a monster.

Viktor wipes his eyes dry and forces his feet to move, he can’t give up this easily, he has been hailed as one the greatest magic-users among fairies, that enough makes him special, maybe he could find a way to undo the unforgivable curse. He has to try to find a way, for Yuuri’s sake he would do anything.

He spends the night at his library, going through every spell book he owns, examining the most difficult spells that only the most gifted ones could accomplish and the greatest potions that have helped saving hundreds of people in history. However, none of them can prevent death curses from happening, nor bring someone back after they have fallen into eternal sleep. Like Yuri said, no matter what Viktor does, his beloved will die tomorrow.

 

 

***

Crying always makes Yuuri feel exhausted, leaving behind a horrible headache that tries to crush his brain to pieces and prevents him from falling asleep against all his wishes. After having such a breakdown today, Yuuri expected to face a headache of the century, but to his luck, he had it easy this time. Whatever medicine Viktor gave him made his body feel a little lighter, but he is still very much incapable of falling to sleep, even when Vicchan is fast asleep beside him. His mind is too busy to let him return to the kingdom of dreams.

When Yuuri got back home, much after sunset, he was prepared to hear a huge sermon from Aunt Minako, but in the end she never gave him one. A weary “I’m glad you’re safe” was all she said to him and after a long hug, she retreated to her room for the rest of the evening. Yuuri tried going to her once, but Aunt Mila told him it would be better to give her some space now to calm down. She had been worried sick about him, she told him, and a lady of that age needed some privacy to calm her heart down. Aunt Sara promised everything would be fine by tomorrow, though, and they would hold a birthday of the century for him. Yuuri had decided the moment wasn’t right to tell them about inviting a guest, but he would tell it the first thing tomorrow. That way, they could never prevent Viktor from coming over.

Yuuri picks the chain of his necklace between his fingers and brings the snowflake before his eyes. Even looking at it makes his face glow, to think Viktor would go as far as make something as beautiful to someone like him. However, no matter how his mind tries to play down the reason behind Viktor’s behaviour, he doesn’t really find any realistic explanations that could challenge the conclusion he has made. Viktor is – probably – interested in him in other ways than as mere friends. After all, he tried to kiss him twice today and looked quite happy after receiving the tiny kiss on his cheek. If only Yuuri were brave and had had the courage to kiss him on the lips. He would have wanted to; after feeling his breath against his skin, the idea of kissing Viktor captured his mind without leaving room for many other thoughts. He is finally sure what to make of his feelings: he has decided to call them love.

Yuuri sighs loudly and turns to his side, carefully so as not to wake Vicchan up for nothing. He has been pondering between options for Viktor’s proposition to move in with him the whole night. The whole idea of it feels complicated, but he now knows one thing for sure: if Viktor doesn’t return his affection, he must decline the offer, since his heart wouldn’t bare being so close to him. However, if Viktor, possibly, hopefully, wanted commitment, nothing would make Yuuri happier than being with him every day. Still, asking the big question is something he is afraid of, but Yuuri has decided to do it nevertheless. If he never asks what Viktor feels for him, he will definitely regret it for the rest of his life.

Tomorrow, he will do it, tell Viktor about his feelings and ask how he feels about him in return. Even if it breaks his heart.

 


	7. Sweet dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Yuuri dies in this one. Happy New Year!

The courtyard of the palace has received a thin white veil during the night, sparkling in the first rays of the morning sun. Mari leans against the railing of the balcony that is connected to her bedchamber, indifferent towards the cold air that makes her skin tingle. With a deep sigh, she releases her silent anxiety to the air and watches how it starts to float up in the sky as thin smoke rings. With each passing year, she has grown more repulsive of this day, the worst of the whole year. The fairness of the first snow feels more like a mockery than a gift.

Apparently, Mari missed a quiet knock on her door, for the next thing she hears is the cry of her lady-in-waiting. Mari doesn’t even bother to hide her golden _kiseru_ pipe when she glances at the young woman who is staring at her with an extremely judging look. She is wearing a red kimono that matches beautifully with her long auburn hair.

“Your highness, haven’t you gotten dressed yet? What happened to the maids I sent here earlier?”

“I sent them away, I didn’t feel like dressing up just yet.”

Her lady-in-waiting sighs and shakes her head. “Really now, madam… And that pipe, you know how the Emperor and Empress feel about your smoking!”

“A lot of our daimyos and samurai do smoke, your husband included. Are you going to forbid me from training archery and swordsmanship as well, Yuuko?”

The remark makes her court lady’s expression soften a little. “Of course not, madam, it would be a shame to lose such a talented warrior. Now, please come inside and let me get you dressed. Today is an important day as you know.”

Reluctantly, Mari turns her back at the sensitive morning light and returns to her bedchamber, submitting herself to Yuuko’s mission to make her look suitable for such a formal event. Ever since little, Mari has hated wearing kimonos, especially those expensive and horrible multi-layered ones that everyone is expecting her to wear. If she could, she would much rather wear hakama in every occasion – cutting her hair shorter would be wonderful, too, but she knows her parents are a little too conservative for that. Because of that Mari simply settles for staring absentmindedly at her own reflection that shows how her hairdo is proceeding. At times like this, she likes to imagine how her little brother would look like, the brother she has only seen as a baby and whose features she cannot remember any longer. She wonders whether his hair would be brown like hers or black like their father’s hair when he was younger, whether he would look like Mari and their father or take after their mother and have softer features. At least she knows one thing for sure, a fact she has been told so many times it has to be true: they have the same eyes.

“Are you feeling excited about the evening, madam?” Yuuko asks with a wide grin; she’s in the middle of decorating Mari’s hair with pink flowers.

“Why should I feel excited?”

“I’m sure you’re playing with me, your highness,” Yuuko huffs and adjusts another flower to Mari’s hair. “His imperial highness Prince Toshiya is finally returning home and the curse that has haunted the court and the whole of Japan for years will be lifted. Isn’t that a wonderful reason to feel happy?”

“Do you really think everything will go well in the end?” Mari asks quietly. “Do you really think the Dark Fairy will be defeated?”

“But of course! I’ve heard the story from my mother dozens of times, Prince Toshiya’s true love, Prince Phichit, will break the curse and destroy the evil that tries to do us harm. I have faith in him and I know my husband does as well, even though he claims he isn’t really that sentimental,” Yuuko says and sighs in a way she always does when she wants to comment how romantic something is (Mari has forbidden her to use that word in her presence). “But honestly, madam, I’m just so happy to finally meet his highness. We only have two years apart and I’ve heard he is the most graceful and well-behaved young man there is.”

_You, my little prince, shall indeed become beautiful and graceful, loved by everyone who steps on your path._

Mari feels something freezing twist inside her heart when she remembers the words the Dark Fairy recited just before placing the curse upon her little brother. Although she has forgotten what her brother looks like, she still remembers those words as they always return to haunt her. To even think someone would bless a child with such features to only curse him to death after a few seconds, Mari can’t understand how anyone can be so cruel. When she was little, the Dark Fairy blessed her with senses of a warrior and if Mari ever gets a chance to see him again, she will definitely put her skills to use.

“Well, of course he is,” Mari mutters out loud, more to herself than to Yuuko, “that’s what’s expected of him, after all.”

After getting dressed in an auburn jūnihitoe with birds embroidered to it, Mari dismisses Yuuko and starts looking for her parents. Although her court lady’s help might have been handy when moving around in a heavy dress, Mari would rather suffer a little to have a moment of privacy. Even when walking alone in the halls, she can hear the sounds of haste everywhere in the palace. While they are ready to welcome her brother home, there are always little things that can be improved, so that the prince will know how much he was missed. Mari wonders how many of the court members would rather flee and leave them die here than stay loyal to the crown. She knows she shouldn’t think of it, but she can’t help sympathizing with them.

Just like she guessed, Mari finds her parents in the throne room, both all dressed up and ready for the evening. They look a little happier than her, but Mari notices their smiles are a little too strained to be genuine. They get a little warmer when her parents notice her coming, though.

“Mari dear, you look so beautiful,” her mother says and wipes her eyes quickly. Mari bows lightly at them.

“Mother, Father, may I have a word with you, please?”

“Of course, little bird,” her father says and tells the guards to step outside the room; although the nickname is old, Mari still feels her stomach fill with sweet warmth every time she hears it. This time, however, the words don’t manage to make her as calm as she would like. Some of the frost is still there.

“What is it, sweetie?” her mother asks quietly when the last guard has pulled the door shut behind him. “Why are you feeling blue?”

“It’s just Yacchan…” Mari sighs, unable to look her parents in the eye. “I can’t help worrying about him.”

Her father lays his hand on her shoulder and gives it a light squeeze. “Even if your brother’s heart is shattered, we will get through it. Minako says the Dark Fairy has no idea Sara managed to modify the curse a little, nor that Prince Phichit is ready to save him. Everything will work out fine in the end.”

“Yes, I’m quite positive we might be able to break the curse, but what then? I don’t suppose the Dark Fairy will simply cease to exist when the curse is broken and Yacchan wakes up!” Mari snaps and wraps her arms around her own body to keep the frost from spreading any further. “What if he comes back for him then, what if he doesn’t give up? And even if we didn’t have to worry about the Dark Fairy anymore, what will happen with Yacchan? He has spent twenty-one years with his fairy godmothers who have been more of a family to him than we ever have. Does he even like us or more importantly, could he even come to like us? After all, when we finally get him back, we’re soon sending him away again, to be with a man who is just as much a stranger to him as we are…”

From the silence that fills the room, Mari knows she said too much, but then again, she knows she said just what her parents have been fearing, not being worthy of their son’s affection. Still, she knows they cannot break the engagement on their own anymore, their relationship with the Kingdom of Thailand would be ruined for good. If only Mari had been the one who was soon to be wed with the Thai prince instead of her brother…

Her mother probably guesses her thoughts as she quickly pulls her into her arms. “Sweet child, your father and I are would never blame you for deciding to stay unmarried and rule by yourself. Although your brother wasn’t able to choose in the end, I… I still want to believe he will become happy and feel loved wherever he is. After all these years of misfortune, there has to be happiness waiting for all of us, don’t you think?”

Mari doesn’t say anything when she clings to her mother and – after repositioning herself – to her father. She really hopes her parents know best so that she could let go of the worry, the cold that wants to devour her body.

 

 

***

”You look like shit.”

Viktor lifts his gaze from the pile of spell books he has spread out on the floor of the library; Yuri is leaning against the doorway, his expression unusually concerned. From the tiny rays of light that touch his hair Viktor knows the night has turned into a morning, into the morning of Yuuri’s birthday and the day when the curse will come true. He didn’t sleep a wink last night.

“I can imagine that.”

Yuri bites his lip and sits quietly on the floor beside him. Viktor doesn’t try to intervene when his apprentice starts to collect the books onto neat piles.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

Viktor lets out a sigh and closes his eyes for a few seconds, the memory of a sleepless night is throbbing hard against his head. “I guess I’ll go there to meet him as I promised.”

Although Viktor can’t see Yuri’s face at the moment, he can just well imagine what kind of an expression he is wearing. “You can’t be fucking serious! You can’t go there to celebrate his birthday like the curse never existed! What are you planning to do when he suddenly passes out while eating dinner and doesn’t wake up ever again?”

“I can’t just stay here – what if his heart shatters because I broke my promise with him? Yesterday Yuuri said his chest has been aching lately, which means the curse has been proceeding and has come to the point where literally everything can trigger the curse to finally happen,” Viktor says and forces himself to breathe when he feels something claw at his heart, the visions he had last night are trying to return to him. As desperation grew bigger, the visions grew clearer, stayed longer around him. On the shadows that danced on the walls Viktor was able to see different scenarios that all lead to Yuuri’s death: his beloved was crying in every single one of them and Viktor was unable to soothe his pain. Even the thought of it makes his eyes burn.

“I just have to be there for him when that happens. After I placed the cursed upon him, I owe him that much at least.”

Yuri sighs in defeat, Viktor knows his apprentice is quite aware there’s nothing he could do to change his mind now. “In that case, I’ll come there with you.”

“You don’t have to, really.”

“I know I don’t have to, because you’re the one who has gotten himself into this mess,” Yuri begins quite aggressively, but then his tone softens a little, “but I want to be there for you if you need me.”

It takes a lot from Viktor to keep tears from flowing onto his cheeks. “Fine then, but I don’t want you to come to stand next to me when I’m facing him.”

“I wouldn’t do something so embarrassing,” Yuri says and rises to his feet. “I’ll be there somewhere close to you, in my other form.”

“That will do just fine. Thank you, Yura.” Viktor says, trying to offer his apprentice a small smile, which, judging from the look on Yuri’s face, fails miserably. “Right, I better do something about my appearance…”

“I don’t think this is a time to worry about how you look,” Yuri begins, but silences when Viktor lets magic flow onto his skin and transform his purple cloak into a tight black outfit, the one he wore when they crashed Yuuri’s christening twenty-one years ago. The only difference is that his hair is short now, but it’s something Viktor can’t do anything about. It’s only fitting he would wear the same thing again – he is finally becoming a murderer.

“Right, I guess I’m ready to go.”

In fact, he isn’t close to ready. No one would be ready to attend the funeral of their beloved, especially after being responsible for the beloved’s death.

 

 

***

As days grow shorter and darker, Yuuri quite naturally wants to maximise his time in bed – quite honestly he wouldn’t mind if he was able to go into hibernation for a couple of months when the world around him changed into something that wasn’t to his liking. However, even during the darkest time of the year there happens to be a day when his body doesn’t insist on sleeping late but wakes him up early and bright: his birthday. And to make things even better, his 21st birthday would be a special one. This time he would spend it with someone new, a person he has grown to think so fondly of. Just the thought of it makes Yuuri’s pulse quicken.

“Do you think they’ll like him, Vicchan?” Yuuri whispers to the dog and scratches her behind the ears before changing into the best kimono he owns – which, by common standards, isn’t really remarkable to begin with. He is quite sure both Mila and Sara would approve Viktor; Aunt Sara might even go as far as flirt a little with him for fun and drive both Yuuri and Aunt Mila unnecessary anxious. Aunt Minako is another story, though, for she has always been the most suspicious of anything she isn’t familiar with. It’s not difficult to imagine that Aunt Minako might think of Viktor as someone who is trying to steal her innocent little boy away, but Yuuri has prepared to convince her that Viktor would never do him harm. Besides, even if she didn’t like him, she must at least learn to tolerate him. If everything goes well and Yuuri leaves his home to settle in a new one, Aunt Minako must respect his wish if she still wants him to keep in touch.

For the final touch, Yuuri combs his hair back and checks that his necklace is well hidden under the collar of his kimono. Then, he tries to open the door of his room as quietly as he can and tiptoes to the stairs. The house is oddly quiet, especially since at least Aunt Minako is always doing her morning chores when Yuuri wakes up. The silence breaks before Yuuri can start to worry as the room suddenly fills with bright light and his aunts rush to the end of the stairs, yelling happy birthday at him in chorus.

”Gee, you scared me!” Yuuri cries, pressing his palm against his chest to calm down his beating heart. “How did you do that thing with the light? I swear it was so much darker just a while ago!”

“A trade secret, Yurochka, we just wanted to do something special for you – one doesn’t turn 21 every day,” Aunt Mila replies and winks at him. “Come to see your present, we’re dying to know what you think about it!”

Yuuri obeys and follows them to the table where the breakfast has already been set. He gasps when he sees what is waiting for him on his cushion: he has never seen a costume so magnificent. It consists of white hakama and a voluminous dark-blue robe, which, apparently, is supposed to be worn over three different kimonos that are folded in a neat pile. If Yuuri remembers correctly, he has seen pictures of a similar costume in one of his books, but he is sure only aristocrats were supposed to wear such fine clothes.

“This… This is so beautiful, but haven’t you gone a bit overboard?” Yuuri asks worriedly and glances at his aunts, he doesn’t want to know how much the costume has cost. “Don’t you think it’s a little too nice for me?”

His concern seems to fall on deaf ears and Aunt Sara shakes her head. “Nonsense, it will suit you just fine. It would be lovely if you wore it for your birthday.”

“Oh, speaking of that,” Yuuri begins cautiously, he has finally got a chance and he has to use it before it’s too late to warn his family about Viktor’s arrival. “I invited someone for dinner, I hope it’s okay with you. He’s… a very important friend of mine.”

Like he had guessed, the revelation turns out to be a little shocking. Aunt Mila and Aunt Sara stare silently at him, their lips slightly parted, while Aunt Minako manages to catch the tea pot just in time before it would have shattered on the floor. The accident might be the reason for the chilliness of her tone.

“Yuuri, since when have you known this person? What have I told you about strangers?”

“I’m sorry to ruin it for you Yurochka, but we aren’t going to stay here for dinner,” Aunt Mila rushes and rolls her eyes at Aunt Minako. “After we have had some breakfast and gotten you ready, we will head to the capital.”

If Yuuri didn’t remember waking up, he would firmly believe he is still wandering somewhere in the dream realm. None of this is making any sense. “I don’t understand… You have always said the world outside the forest is dangerous and that I should avoid it at all costs, now why would you possibly want me to go to the capital?”

Aunt Sara tilts her head a little and brushes Yuuri’s arm lightly, her smile tells she has something grand to reveal. “Is meeting your family a suitable reason?”

“What are you talking about, Aunt Sara, you said my parents died when I was young…”

“We might have lied a little back then. But it was only to keep you safe, we would never want to deceive you, dearest Yuuri – or should we say Prince Toshiya II?”

Yuuri is sure he was about to say something to the claim, but the words die before he lets them out of his mouth. It’s too absurd, he must have heard them wrong, there’s no way he could be a prince, he’s nothing of that sort! However, no matter how he searches, he can’t find signs of lies on his aunts’ faces. And now that Yuuri thinks further, why would his aunts have taught him everything from the history of the country to calligraphy if he was a nobody, why would he know about proper ways to interact with nobility if he didn’t have to interact with them at all? Yuuri shivers a little when he remembers how Viktor once remarked he didn’t speak like a commoner – his aunts have been shaping his behaviour ever since he was young and he never realized how different he was to peasants he identified with.

Aunt Minako nods as though she was able to read Yuuri’s mind. “Yes, that’s who you are, Yuuri, not a son of a fisherman but the only son of Emperor Toshiya and Empress Hiroko, the prince of Japan and the younger brother of Crown Princess Mari. You left the palace with us not long after you were born as your parents wanted to protect you. They trusted you to our care because they knew our powers would help to keep you away from harm. You see, we are not actually ordinary women but three fairies who have been serving the royal family for years.”

When the women beside him reveal their transparent wings to him, Yuuri has to pinch himself to make sure he is still awake.

“You… How is that… This is real, isn’t it?” he mutters, dumbstruck, and the fairies smile back at him. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

This time, Yuuri is sure he was able to see a little frown flash on aunt Sara’s face before the warmth takes over her cheeks. “For your own safety we thought it would be best if you knew as little as possible.”

“What do you mean by my safety? Am I in danger?”

“Not for long, when the sun sets, all of that will be nothing but a bad dream,” Aunt Mila says quickly and wraps her arm around Aunt Sara as though to calm her down. “We’ll promise to tell you everything about it tomorrow; tonight we are supposed to celebrate and want nothing to ruin the joy. Your family is so eager to finally have you home.”

“And they are not the only ones. Members of the royal family of the Kingdom of Thailand will be attending as well, you know that Thailand is a very important ally to Japan, right?” Aunt Minako says briskly, clapping her hands. “Your fiancé is excited to finally meet you.”

Yuuri feels his stomach drop, it’s like someone pushed him into cold water without a warning. “My what?”

“Your fiancé,” Aunt Minako repeats patiently. “You have been betrothed to the Crown Prince of Thailand from your birth, to unite the Empire of Japan and the Kingdom of Thailand. He is a very nice person and I’m sure you’ll grow to like him when you get married.”

”I can’t marry the prince of Thailand!” Yuuri says loudly, horrified. His heart has started to pound frantically like it was planning to crush his ribs and break free from his body. ”I don’t care if I’m a prince, but I’m not going to marry anyone I don’t know nor love, I’m sorry. Besides, what would I ever say to Viktor if I suddenly left to be with someone else?”

“Viktor?” Aunt Minako says in a high voice. “Is that the name of the person you wanted to invite?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Yuuri, tell us… What does this Viktor look like?”

“Well, he is tall, silver-haired, always well dressed and very handsome, I must say... Oh and Russian, just like Aunt Mila,” Yuuri says, even the thought of Viktor calms him down a little, fills his body with sweet warmth that reaches even his fingertips. “He is so charming and kind, I really like to spend time with him. I’m so sorry I never told you about him before; I was afraid you wouldn’t let me see him again. But I’m sure you would think fondly of him if you met him – could you at least consider letting me stay here with him instead? I’d be much happier that way.”

To Yuuri’s horror, Aunt Sara begins to cry. “How could he? How could he do such a cruel thing? Poor child, you would never have deserved to be treated that way!”

Yuuri just stares helplessly at her. “I don’t understand…”

“Yuuri, I think it’s better if you sit down for a minute,” Aunt Mila says firmly, no signs of her usual playfulness left. She never calls him ‘Yuuri’, to her she has always been ‘Yurochka’, even when she has been scolding him for not reading his homework properly. The realization makes Yuuri gulp nervously and obey her quickly, he is pretty sure he felt something twist inside his heart when he kneels down. It takes almost thirty seconds for Aunt Mila to find a way to begin her explanation.

“When you were born, a big celebration was held for you in the palace. A lot of important people came to see you, some of them even from overseas. But then someone arrived at the palace to ruin the celebration, a man called the Dark Fairy, the strongest of our kind. And he did something terrible: he put a curse on you, planning to kill you before your 21st birthday. And that man is the same person whom you have come to know as Viktor.”

On the moment Yuuri hears Viktor’s name, his lungs stop working for a few heartbeats and his eyes start to burn warningly.

“That’s not possible… Viktor… Viktor would never do that! He has been nothing but sweet to me, he even said he wants me to move in with him! He likes me, I’m quite sure of it! There’s no way he would do something like that…”

Aunt Minako places her hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, child, but we know from experience how good he is at charming people. We could never have guessed how capable of evil he is when we first met him…”

The first teardrop rolls onto Yuuri’s cheek, it takes a lot from him to not break completely down in front of her aunts. He thinks of all those times when Viktor whispered syrupy words into his ears and made him yearn for something he wasn’t able to name before recently, those times when Viktor held him so close he was probably able to hear the sound of Yuuri’s beating heart, those times when Viktor gazed at him so intensively he almost made Yuuri melt – they couldn’t all have been lies, right? Yuuri swallows the forthcoming sob when he thinks of yesterday when they were in Viktor’s ice garden, bodies pressed together, lips parted for a kiss. Nobody would be able to lie about something so deep, nobody! Besides, Viktor had promised he would never lie to him.

Breath hitching, Yuuri pushes Aunt Minako’s hand away and bounces to his feet. “No, you’re wrong, Viktor would never do that to me! You’re just making things up because you want to make me come with you, but guess what, that’s not going to happen! Just go back to the palace and tell my parents how much I loathe them for choosing such a future for me without my consent!”

Before anyone can stop him, Yuuri flees the room and pushes his feet hastily into his boots before rushing outside. The moment he steps out of the house, a freezing wind strikes him in the face; it has snowed during the night and the air has gotten much colder. It takes a moment for him to realize it is snowing even now, slowly and quietly.

Yuuri knows he is dressed way too lightly for such a weather, but he doesn’t turn back, he needs to go to Viktor, needs to hear the truth from him. As he runs, he feels something cold crush his heart in its fist, making him wince in pain and bringing tears back to his eyes. Still, Yuuri forces his feet to keep going, he cannot stop and get caught before he is at Viktor’s side. Right now, he couldn’t care less if he caught a cold and would have to lie in bed for weeks afterwards. If he manages to prove Viktor’s innocence, it will all be worth it.

 

 

***

Having been born in the coldest time of the year, Viktor has never fallen victim to frost, instead he has considered the cold one of his closest friends. Unlike humans and fairies born in warmer circumstances, Viktor has never been affected by it and has been blessed to walk around in light attires all year around if he feels like it. Today, however, for the first time in his life he feels cold.

Viktor knows he has come to their meeting place way too early, but he couldn’t stay at home either, not when every book and item related to magic constantly reminded him of the curse. Still, coming to the forest didn’t make him feel much better: he still has no idea what he is going to do when Yuuri shows up. He cannot go to Yuuri’s home, not when his fairy godmothers will be there – it’s a shame he cannot change his appearance like Yuri. Maybe he should take Yuuri back to his home after all, keep him busy and comfortable so that his death would be a little more pleasant one… Viktor buries his face in his hands, he can’t think straight, not when the snowfall is slowly growing into a storm.

Despite the wind, Viktor is able to hear the sound of someone’s steps approaching him. Swallowing, he takes a step back, ready to cast a spell that would let him absorb into whiteness, to disappear from the eyes of the comer, but he never gets to do it. Viktor’s heart drops when he recognizes the one coming as his beloved. He has no time to react before Yuuri has reached him and thrown himself in his arms, body shaking frantically. Viktor startles a little when he notices how little Yuuri is wearing for the weather and feels his anxiety grow when he realizes that his beloved is crying. Though he doesn’t know the reason, Viktor can’t help but feel he has something to do with it again.

Still, he forces himself to wrap his arms around Yuuri and mechanically stroke his hair that has got wet of snow. “My love, what’s the matter? What has happened?”

”M-my aunts want to take me away so that I would m-marry someone else…” Yuuri sobs against his shoulder, his voice is so distressed that it’s a bit hard to make out what he is saying. “I don’t know w-what to do, I don’t want to go…”

For a second, Viktor forgets how to breathe as panic fills him. As selfish as it is, he can’t bear the idea of being separated from Yuuri, there must be something he could do to stop the curse from happening, maybe he didn’t think outside the box when he was trying to find the solution – after all, the fairies are planning to wed him despite the curse. Maybe he could put a sleeping spell on Yuuri, just for tonight, nothing could surely harm him while he was asleep, nothing could shatter his heart while he was surrounded by peaceful dreams. Viktor squeezes him harder and presses his lips lightly to his hair.

“It’s alright Yuuri, I’m not going to let them take you away. Don’t worry, _moyo solnyshko_ , I’ll keep you safe, I promise. All you need to do is ask and I’ll take you somewhere they’ll never find.”

All of a sudden, Yuuri yanks himself away from him, taking a step back like Viktor was something dangerous, something he should run away from. The realization hits him hard, in some way, Yuuri must already know about the curse, about him. He was so stupid when he had actually believed those three fairies wouldn’t tell Yuuri anything about him.

Nevertheless, Viktor tries to keep his voice as calm as ever. “What’s wrong, my sweet? Why are you looking at me like that?”

He even offers his hand to Yuuri, but he doesn’t take it. Instead, he stares straight into Viktor’s eyes, his gaze full of made-up bravery that is desperately trying to hide the plight beneath. “…They told me something else, too. They said I’m not a commoner but a prince of this country and I was cursed some time after I was born… by you.”

Yuuri’s next words are barely a whisper filled with desperation. “Viktor, is it true?”

Viktor feels his heart break. “…It is true. Yuuri, I’m so sorry…”

He feels hopeless when he is forced to witness how new tears fill Yuuri’s eyes, how he shakes his head slightly like he was trying to make Viktor take his words back. “How could you? How could you do that to me?”

Now Viktor feels like crying, too. “Yuuri, darling, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

”You didn’t mean to?” Yuuri repeats in a high voice. “You didn’t mean to curse me to death? What did you do then, just accidentally cast a spell on me that would ruin my life?”

“Yuuri, please, you have to understand! I was so… blinded by rage, I had lost what I cared about the most and wanted to take revenge on the people that had caused my pain…”

“But I was a mere baby!” Yuuri screams, his body shaking uncontrollably. “Even if my parents had wronged you, I had no part in it! And even if you suffered, you had no right to do that to me! I can’t believe it… you must have known all this time who I was… Just how could you?”

“That’s not true, I only found out yesterday! I want to fix things, please believe me!” Viktor tries weakly and takes a step closer to Yuuri to show him he is telling the truth. Yuuri, however, flinches away from him like Viktor was pointing some sort of a weapon at him.

“Don’t touch me!” Yuuri snaps, but his voice has lost its power, so his words almost drown in the storm. “I don’t want to hear any more of your lies, Viktor, you’ve known all this time and yet you were so sweet to me, made me believe you actually cared for me… And made me crave your affection more than anything…”

Yuuri turns slightly away, arms wrapped around his own body and gaze pressed to the ground so that Viktor couldn’t see the tears flowing onto his face. Even though they’re not far from each other, Yuuri looks as though he was completely alone in the whole world. Viktor swallows a gasp when he realizes he has seen this scene before, in a dream he had of the cursed prince last summer, the prince who looked so familiar to him but whose identity he still couldn’t figure out. He is desperately trying to remember how the dream continued from that point, when Yuuri suddenly lifts his chin a little, concentrating his gaze on a spot somewhere behind Viktor’s shoulder. His voice is so quiet and blank it feels like he has given up on trying to produce speech.

“To even think I was ready to give my heart to the person who wanted nothing more than have me dead… Just how stupid can I be?”

Then something new flashes in his dark eyes and his lips part once more, but the sound dies halfway, the pain of a shattered heart is too strong for his body to handle. Viktor lets out a sob when Yuuri’s legs give in and Viktor rushes to catch him so that he doesn’t fall on the snow, only to fall to his knees a few seconds later. Vision blurry, he watches in horror how his tears drop on Yuuri’s face in a fastening pace, earning no reaction from his beloved. Yuuri has closed his eyes just before the fall, it could even look like he was just sleeping, but no one is able to sleep so deeply that he wouldn’t react to being shaken with such a force, being exposed to such loud cries. The fact only makes Viktor cling harder to him.

“Yuuri, my sweet, open your eyes… darling, you have to! Please… I’m so sorry… Don’t leave me…”

“Let go of him, you bastard!”

Viktor acts too slowly, for the next thing he realizes is that Yuuri has been snatched away from him, while something has thrown him violently on the ground a few meters away from the spot where he was just a minute ago. Before he can even think of getting to his feet, he sees something red flash in his vision, something that knocks him down once more. On top of him sits the leading fairy of this land, her watering eyes full of fury and fingers gripped around the case of a sharp knife.

“You murderer, he was like a son to me! How could you?” Minako screams at him, her knife hand shaking just above Viktor’s face. Viktor knows he should say something to her, but his mouth is dry, words have escaped him. He also knows he could be able to push her away, especially since she is in a state like that, but his muscles have lost all their strength and his magic faded away like he had used the last drop of it. Right now, Viktor couldn’t care if she stabbed him so many times he would bleed to death: she has the right to it and he deserves it. And Minako knows it, for she lets out a single sob and lifts the knife.

A dark flash knocks her down before the blade hits him and Viktor distantly perceives that someone is dragging him away by force, stepping in front of him to block a raging spell from hitting him. In his blurry eyes, Yuri has never looked so reliable.

Mila, her former countryman, dashes to them and tugs Minako by the arm before she can target another spell at Yuri and him. “Minako, snap out of it, there’s no use fighting them now! There is still something we can do, remember? Come, we need to take him home before he freezes…”

Minako lets out a high-pitched breath and glances quickly behind her shoulder, Viktor can now see that the third fairy, Sara, has wrapped a blanket around Yuuri and lifted him in her arms like he weighted nothing. Minako turns back to him and meets Viktor’s gaze with pure hatred.

“If you ever dare come near him again, I’m going to kill you. Remember that, you heartless piece of shit!”

Then the three fairies turn their backs at him, knowing neither Viktor nor Yuri would be able to attack them anymore. Despite the threat, Viktor tries to get up, tries to go after them, but his legs betray him. He wants to beg them to not take his beloved away, but his mouth still refuses to create sound and even if it could, the words would drown in the storm. Eyes burning with new tears, Viktor realizes he has been pulled into a clumsy hug and then he stops feeling anything at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos & comments are appreciated :> Also, come say hi to me on [Tumblr!](http://sophiafrederica.tumblr.com/)


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